Recipes • Page 24 of 25 • Domestic Superhero

7 Things About Me Award & a Craigslist Find!

Published Sep 5, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

So the other day I noticed I had a little 'award' nomination from the lovely lady over at Apartment Envy. How sweet of her to think of me and to want to know, "7 things about me". As a part of the award I have to tell you 7 things about me, and then nominate 7 other bloggers...here goes.

1. I have lived in 6 different states in the last 28 years, (New Hampshire, Michigan, California, Connecticut, New York, and Georgia).

2. I love dresses and have over 60 in my closet.

3. I get incredibly car sick if I am not driving.

4. I will eat anything and everything with buffalo sauce.

5. I much prefer swimming in a pool over the ocean, but prefer laying on the beach vs. poolside.

6. I have a rambunctious 21 month old toddler named Austin.

7. I was psyched to buy a house with a huge jacuzzi tub, but have yet to use it in the 5 months we have lived there 🙁

Now, I am going to pass on the nominations to these wonderful bloggers:

Le Chic Elefant

Rantings of an Amateur Chef

Lightly Crunchy

Our Kitchen Innovations

DIY- It's Better!

Now At Home Mom

Danny's Kitchen

THE RULES:

Thank the blogger who nominated you (because you’re ever so polite).
Tell everyone 7 things about yourself (because everyone is dying to know what makes you tick).
Choose 7 other blogs (or however many you want because, let’s face it, bloggers make their own rules) you think deserve the award and post on their page that they’ve been nominated!

Thanks again to Apartment Envy for nominating me! So sweet!

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Okay, onto other things.....I scored this totally cute dresser/nightstand/side table on craigslist for $30! I thought it had 6 drawers, but when I picked it up I found it only has 3! It doesn't matter, I love it and can't wait to refinish it....but I have to do the dresser turned console table first, so it may be a while until you can see the makeover on this little guy. Just a peek for now...

What would you do with it?!

Guest Blog: Asian Beef Stir-Fry

Published Sep 4, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

My friend, Brenna, is always cooking up yummy sounding recipes and I finally harassed her long enough to send me one of her delicious creations! I love when my friends give me meat recipes to post, because I don't ever come up with any good ones on my own! I also like that this recipe is so versatile; you could make it with chicken, pork, just veggies, and you can essentially put whatever into it that you want! Lets see what Brenna cooked up for us......

_____________________________________________________________________

I don't like reading cooking blogs. Everyone has a nicer kitchen (I have GREEN appliances! Yikes.) and more creativity than I do. And they make me fat because I have zero self control and I must eat the entire batch of whatever looks delicious. But I agreed to share one of my favorite recipes with Allyson because it's just too good not to share! It's incredibly easy to make and looks impressive- two very important qualities in my book. It's also very easy to adjust the quantity made and the veggies to suit your taste. I am not a vegetable eater so I let my husband choose what he wanted to have in this stir fry. You could make it even simpler by using a mix from your grocer's freezer section.

This recipe fed two very hungry grown ups and one toddler who wasn't impressed. Double the amount of veggies and pasta to make it stretch.

Asian Beef Stir-Fry

Ingredients

4 ounces uncooked pasta
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
½ teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Preferred stir fry veggies I used two bell peppers and two carrots
2 teaspoons sesame oil divided
1 ½ pounds beef steak cut into thin strips

Instructions

I prefer to begin by cooking my pasta. You can use Asian rice pasta, or any fine pasta like angel hair or vermicelli. Once it’s cooked place on a large platter or in a large bowl and cover with tin foil to hold in the heat.
While the pasta boils combine the cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper. This will be a caramel color and somewhat thick in consistency.
In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the vegetables in 1 teaspoon oil for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove and place on top of pasta. Cover to hold in the heat.
In the same pan, stir-fry beef in remaining oil for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir soy sauce mixture and add to pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until sauce has thickened. Once finished place on top of the pasta and veggies.

Enjoy!

Brenna is from Nebraska, is a full-time student studying English and Theater, she has a rambunctious toddler named Maxwell, and she loves reading and sewing in her spare time (what spare time?!?!). She also loves crafting different baby items and you can check out her Etsy Store here!

Thank you so much, Brenna for taking the time out to write this wonderful post for my blog!

Fresh Crab Cakes

Published Aug 30, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

These fresh crab cakes are packed with protein and low calorie. Serve them with a delicious salad for the perfect healthy meal!

I know I have posted a Crab Cake recipe before, but that was for lower carb crab cake, and this recipe a little different. Using fresh ingredients and minimal fillers, these Fresh Crab Cakes are healthy, light, and easy.

Serve these with a delicious Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad or Air Fryer French Fries for the perfect meal!

Per serving these crab cakes have under 200 calories (no sauce), and with only 9 grams of carbohydrates they are technically low-carb as well. They also boat 19g of protein per 2 cake serving! These fresh crab cakes are great for dinner, a snack, or to serve at a party.

I like serving them with Chick-fil-A Sauce or even this delicious Big Mac Sauce!

If you enjoy seafood recipes as much as I do, checkout these other seafood dishes from Domestic Superhero:

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4.8 from 5 votes

Fresh Crab Cakes

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fresh crab cakes

Servings: 4 servings (2 cakes)

Calories: 180 kcal

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
1 ½ tablespoons canola-based mayonnaise such as Spectrum brand
½ teaspoon lemon rind grated
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 large egg
⅓ cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs
1 pound lump crabmeat drained and shell pieces removed
1 tablespoon olive oil divided

Instructions

Combine first 8 ingredients. Add panko and crab, tossing gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Fill a ⅓-cup dry measuring cup with crab mixture. Invert onto work surface; gently pat into a ¾-inch-thick patty. Repeat procedure with remaining crab mixture, forming 8 cakes.
Heat 1 ½ teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden. Carefully turn cakes; cook 4 minutes or until bottoms are golden and crab cakes are thoroughly heated. Remove cakes from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan dry with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 ½ teaspoons oil in pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 4 crab cakes.

Recipe Notes

Makes 4 servings, 2 crab cakes per serving
Nutritional Information: 180 calories, 7 g fat, 8.3 g carbs, 19.7 g protein

Refinished Farmhouse Hutch with Tutorial

Published Aug 28, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This post has been a long time in the making, and I am really happy I can finally blog about it. Since we moved in April, I knew that I wanted to find a great hutch for our kitchen because we have the perfect space for it. I had been keeping my eye out for months, and then finally I found one I really liked on craigslist. It was listed for $75, which I thought was a great deal. After some emailing, going to see the hutch, and having the nice gentleman deliver it, I finally had the hutch in my garage!!! This is what it looked like:

I didn't take any pictures with it stacked how it is supposed to be, because I wanted to get to work on it right away. I started off by cleaning this whole thing very thoroughly. It had a nasty odor (I think from cats...) on the inside of the cabinet, and I was determined to get it out. I used Kiltz primer on the inside of the cabinets to cover it up, and it worked. I didn't really like the the spindles on the top cabinet doors, so I removed those. It was extremely difficult because all the screws on the hinges were totally stripped. Luckily, my husband and I were able to put some elbow grease into it and get them removed (both by unscrewing and literally ripping it apart). After this I took off all the hardware and went back and filled in the holes with wood filler. Then I was ready to start sanding!

Now, when I did this whole sanding process I wasn't yet sure what type of paint or finish I was going to do on the hutch. I later decided to go ahead and try Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint for the first time, which actually makes it so you don't have to sand the surface. This would have been a nice step to skip (and mess to skip, that's for sure), but the piece had a lot of scratches in it anyway, so it was probably best to go ahead and sand it anyway. It definitely helped the paint go on a lot smoother. After I did the bottom portion, I did my best to do the top of the hutch, but it was hard with all the detailed work on that section. I didn't stress about it too much and figured I could fix whatever I needed to as I progressed.

Finding Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint was pretty easy, because there is a retailer right by my house, but it isn't carried that many places and is often only found in specialty shops. You can order it online though. I have read so much about the paint that I was expecting miracles, and I think maybe I had my expectations set too high. Everything says you only need 1 coat (I needed 2 everywhere, and a 3rd in some places), that the whole quart (not gallon, quart) will last you several furniture projects (I ended up needing 2 quarts, at $40 a piece it was not cheap), and that it is just the easiest paint to paint with. While I didn't have to worry too much about how I was painting, I wouldn't really say it was easy. I ended up needing a 2nd quart of the paint, which was a bummer, but I have about half the 2nd can left for other projects now.

hutch4 — Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Old White (most popular color)

Anyway, this is how it looked after the paint:

After I finished with the Chalk Paint I was feeling a little disappointed about how it looked. I knew it wasn't done yet, because there were 2 more vital steps left....distressing and waxing, both pretty much required when using AS Chalk Paint. I ended up taking a break for a little while because I was tired of dealing with this whole project. About a week later, I felt super determined to finish this thing. I knew I still had a ways to go, but I knew I could do it and dedicate my weekend to it.

I started with the distressing on the bottom cabinet portion.....

It is a little difficult to see in the pictures, but after I started this I was feeling a lot happier about the overall look, and really felt compelled to continue.

I finished the whole bottom, and then knew I had a couple things to do before I started the top hutch. I wanted to put shelves in the cabinet where the spindle doors had been. It would have been a very large/tall space to fill without cabinets. I set out to Home Depot to figure out how I could do this. Luckily one of the guys there knew exactly what I was talking about and walked me through doing it. He cut 2 small squares (which I had measured for before I went) of lightweight wood, and then showed me a trick to get them to stay up easier-small pieces of molding glued to the sides....just set the shelf on top! So I bought some great wood glue, the wood, the molding, and I was on my way! Once I got home I painted the molding with the chalk paint (even though it was white, I wanted it to match exactly), and sanded and painted the wood squares as well. I waited for them to dry and then glued the molding inside the cabinets (see sides!):

I put the shelves inside and then continued distressing the top. This is where I got a little laxed with the picture taking, because I was so determined to finish it......The last step was waxing it. I ended up using the natural Minwax soft wax. Annie Sloan recommends that you use her wax, but it's so expensive I decided I would try something else. I read lots of tutorials and it seemed like it was okay to try other waxes on the chalk paint. The Minwax didn't come in a clear finish (at least that I could find), so I had to use a 'natural' finish, which was a little brown/yellow. It slightly changed the color/finish of the paint, but I ended up liking it in the end. After I applied the wax, I waited the 20 minutes for it to dry and then buffed it. It really left a nice even sheen on the hutch, and made it super smooth to the touch. The wax really brought out the color of the wood where it was distressed, which I really liked. I think from now on I will use wax on most of my furniture projects!

I still had to find hardware and style it, but I couldn't wait any longer and my husband wanted it out of the garage (because it was a disaster area). So we brought it inside! And this is where I got way too picture happy....

When I finished it a couple weeks ago, I decided to wait to post it because I wanted to find some things to decorate it with, and also some nice hardware. I got pretty lucky and ended up finding all the hardware at Hobby Lobby, while they were having a '50% off knobs sale'!!! Score!!! I ended up getting the 4 top knobs for $1.50 each, and the bottom 3 knobs for $2 each, for a grand total of $10.50!!!! This is a huge steal considering I spent over $30 on the hardware I used for my dresser refinishing, and it was just simple hardware from Home Depot. I was seriously stoked.

Then over the course of those few weeks I found some different decor to style it with....

I picked up some fall decor at the dollar store (see little pumpkins!!! Ceramic and only $1-totally cute!). I found the few baskets and bowls at Home Goods, and the big wicker vase at Kohls. I made the twine vase in the center for under $2, and picked up a few fall type flowers from the dollar store as well. I ended up using a few old pictures/frames, and this 'A' I had found at Goodwill for like .50 a few months ago (and still hadn't used it).

One of my favorite parts is the large vase I found at Home Goods for only $7.99, and then I finally found a use for all the corks I have been saving for the last 3 years!!!!! My husband has asked me countless times if it is really necessary to keep all the corks, and I demanded it was-ha! It totally paid off! Now all I have to do is toss them in there anytime we pop open a new bottle of wine! I may just open a bottle to celebrate!

Anyway, it's done!! Finally!!! Finally done!!! I am sure I will add to it here and there, and obviously change out the fall decor for other seasonal decor as well. I am really happy with how it turned out and it looks really great in the kitchen. What do you think?

Other things you might need to create this project:

Orbital Sander

Paint Brush

Chalk Paint Brush/Wax Brush

Finishing Wax Paste

Chalk Paint

Like furniture DIYs as much as I do? Check out my other projects:

DIY Dresser to TV Console

DIY Dresser Refinishing Tutorial

DIY Tufted Ikat Ottoman from Upcycled Pallet with Tutorial

Refinished Farmhouse Hutch Tutorial

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

Arugula Lemon Pesto

Published Aug 27, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Last week I was browsing at the grocery store when I noticed a big container of Spicy Wasabi Arugula on sale. Regularly $6, I snatched it up for just under $2 and didn't look back. But Wasabi Arugula....what could I use this for? I recalled the spinach pesto I made for grilled cheeses not too long ago, and thought I could probably use this arugula and do a pesto with it.....pesto doesn't always have to be made with basil, right? So I figure this pesto can be made with any type of arugula, or green leafy veggie. I also wanted to cut down on the oil a little bit, so I decided to add some lemon juice to help with the blending process. I might try kale pesto next....sounds good, right? Use this for a pasta, chicken, fish, veggies, roasted potatoes, or pizza....the options are endless! Put it on a grilled cheese like I did with my spinach pesto, drool!

Arugula Lemon Pesto

Ingredients

2 cups of packed arugula leaves I used wasabi arugula!, stems removed
½ cup of shelled walnuts or almonds
½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves or not, if you are using a food processor, peeled and chopped
2 TBS Lemon Juice
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Combine the arugula, salt, nuts, garlic into a food processor. Pulse mixture. Add parmesan cheese and pulse mixture.
Continue to pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Add lemon juice last and pulse until combined.
Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Use for whatever you want!

Recipe Notes

Sometimes it’s good to make extra pesto and save some for later use. I love putting a some into freezer trays, freezing, then popping out into a zip lock bag. Presto! Pesto whenever you need it!

DIY Fall Twine Vase

Published Aug 22, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Let me first say, I love fall. I love when the leaves start changing colors, the humidity starts to break down, a light breeze comes into the air and the temperatures drop slightly. I love thinking about fall bonfires, hoodie sweatshirts, and spiced apple cider. Pumpkin patches, hay rides, and picking apples all come to mind when I think about fall. College football, tailgating, wearing pants, long sleeves, and hats! Fall decor is so beautiful, too; Orange, red, yellow leaves, pine cones, wood baskets, mini pumpkins and gourds....so many cute things! I have been noticing lots of fall inspired crafts on pinterest and decided to take on one of my own. I recently finished a big hutch for the kitchen (post to come soon), and I need cute things to help style it. I found a couple little vases/bowls at the dollar store and thought they would be perfect to decorate. Then, while I was putting away some recyclables I noticed a glass pickle jar that would be perfect for my project. I cleaned that baby out and got to work....

You will need: Some sort of glass jar/bowl/vase, twine (I used natural sisal**), hot glue gun, and hot glue.

**I found this 100ft pack of twine at Hobby Lobby for $5.99, but you can print a 40% off coupon making it around $3.50!

Start by gluing a piece at the top on the inside a little bit, and then start wrapping and gluing around the jar. I did a little at a time because I found that I had to press the twine against the jar for a moment so that it would stick and not just pop back off. I put the glue on the jar, and then pressed the twine into it.

Keep going and gluing....

I just stopped after the lip curved in at the bottom. Cut twine and secure last bit with a lot of glue! Voila!

I didn't buy any fall leaf/flowers to put into the vase yet, so I found these (maybe poisonous?!) berry leaves that looked so cool in the backyard!

I have lots of extra twine left over so I am thinking up some projects that I can use that on, too!! I think this could even be cute just putting the twin on one section of the glass...like in the middle, or the base! This was such a cheap and easy project to do. Probably under $3 total!

Things you might need to make this project (aff links):

Visit my Project Gallery to see all my DIYs!

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

Veggie Cooking Cheat Sheet (free printable)

Published Aug 17, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This Veggie Cooking Cheat Sheet makes cooking vegetables easy! This free printable will be your go-to when it comes to how to cook vegetables!

Looking around pinterest one day, I noticed a couple different cooking 'cheat' sheets. I though, "What a great idea!" Often I am wondering how long to cook a veggie, especially when it comes down to roasting or baking it. I don't particularly like microwaving veggies, but sometimes when you are in a time crunch that is the only way. Steaming is another great option, and is usually pretty quick as well. Then there is boiling, which I use often for things like potatoes.

My favorite way to cook veggies is with roasting though. It's so simple, and everything always turns out delicious. Toss with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper and you are good to go. You can dress things up with lemon juice, or zest (I love that word!), or add brown sugar to things like carrots or sweet potatoes. The options are endless and there are recipes out there for everything!

So, I put together this Veggie Cooking Cheat Sheet as a handy reference to keep on hand. I tried to include the most popular veggies, but I know there are a few left out as well. What is your favorite vegetable to cook and how do you cook it?

Here are some things you might need to cook your veggies:

You can get your free printable here!

Like vegetables as much as I do? Try some of these other delicious vegetable recipes:

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You can get your free printable here!

Potato Salad with Bacon & Parsley

Published Aug 15, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I am not usually a fan of potato salad, but the dressing on this along with the parsley make it really tasty. This specific recipe calls for bacon, but you could leave that out for a vegetarian potato salad as well. The Dijon sauce is tangy, yet not too tart. Do not overcook the potatoes or you will have a mashed potato mess. This Potato Salad with Bacon and Parsley would be great as a side dish at a BBQ, to bring to a potluck, or to have as a side for your dinner. There are minimal ingredients, and most things you probably already have in your pantry. With not much a of a mess and quick clean up, this is a quick and easy go-to recipe!!

potato salad 1 — Potatoes and Sauce before whisking - so vibrant!

Potato Salad With Bacon & Parsley

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds new potatoes I used 1 bag of baby red potatoes
kosher salt and black pepper
4 slices bacon
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped

Instructions

Place the potatoes in a pot with water to cover and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer until tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool. Cut into quarters.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Crumble when cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Toss with the potatoes, bacon, and parsley.

Recipe Notes

Serves 6
The potatoes can be cooked and tossed with the dressing and the parsley up to one day in advance. To ensure that the bacon stays crisp, add it just before serving.

Recipe From Real Simple Magazine

Nutritional Information:

Super Easy Strawberry Basil Margaritas

Published Aug 13, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Last week I was helping plan and organize a Mexican Themed Girl's Night party for my boss, and I was excited to find some new mexican recipes, along with some fun cocktails. Whenever I think of a fiesta, I think of margaritas! It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually started liking margaritas, and they have to be made perfectly; on the rocks, with a ton of lime, and salt on the rim. However, when I was searching for new recipes I came across the most delicious looking Strawberry Basil Margaritas, and decided it had to be made. My boss agreed that it looked wonderful, so we added it to the menu. Well, I was so excited about these margs, that I had to go home and make it that night. While I put my son to bed, my husband ran out and bought the couple of ingredients we didn't have, and by the time Austin was asleep, my husband was chopping up strawberries. This is definitely super easy, inexpensive, and would make an awesome party cocktail. The recipe says to let it sit overnight, but 20 minutes was long enough for us. We did drink more the following day, and it had a bit deeper flavor, but it was still really good right away. These are super easy, and super strong! Serve them up with some Bean and Potato Enchiladas, or a Southwestern Pizza! Enjoy!

Super Easy Strawberry Basil Margaritas — Strawberries & Basil.....mix it up!

Strawberry Basil Margaritas

Ingredients

1 can frozen limeade concentrate 12 ounces
10 strawberries or 12 if you're using smaller ones from the farmer's market or your backyard.
8 basil leaves
2 to 2 ½ cups tequila gold or silver

Instructions

Empty the limeade concentrate into a pitcher. Add 2 ½ cans of water. Add 18 ounces, or 2 ¼ cups cans of tequila (or a bit less, if you don’t want your drinks to be quite as strong).
Hull the strawberries, slice lengthwise, and add to the pitcher.
Crumple the basil a little in your hands or muddle it a bit (this will help the basil flavor release into the drink) and add it to the pitcher, too.
Place the pitcher, covered, in the fridge overnight, or for at least four hours. (We drank after about 20 minutes and were still delicious)

Recipe Notes

When you remove the pitcher from the fridge, your margaritas will be a lovely pale pink color. Serve over ice and enjoy!
Makes 1 pitcher, or about 8 servings

Like summer cocktails as much as I do? Check out these other drinks from Domestic Superhero:

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!

- Allyson

Sauteed Asparagus with Poached Eggs, Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Published Aug 9, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I was browsing the farmer's market a couple weeks ago and found the most perfect looking asparagus. Lately I have been enjoying asparagus more than usual (even though I love it), and picking it up whenever I can. It really makes a tasty side and there are so many delicious ways to fix it. I decided to make the asparagus the bulk of this meal, add a poached egg (which I am still trying to get better at doing, see basic explanation), toss on some cherry tomatoes, and add a sprinkle of goat cheese. Let me tell you, it was brilliant. Since the eggs were poached nicely, the yolk was super runny and made the perfect 'sauce' for the asparagus. The goat cheese warmed when put on top of the asparagus and had the perfect melty bite with the tomatoes and egg. I ended up cutting up everything and mixing it all together...messy, but perfect in my opinion. My husband wanted a little more, so he had 2 poached eggs. I can see this dish being served for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner...really, any meal! Serve it up with some lovely buttered toast or an English muffin. Serve it in a roll as a delicious egg sandwich.

Sauteed Asparagus with Poached Eggs, Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Ingredients

4 large eggs or more if you want more than 1 egg per person, poached
32 asparagus spears probably 2 bunches, ends trimmed and washed
1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
4 TBS Crumbled Goat Cheese
Container of Cherry/Grape tomatoes quartered

Instructions

1. Add 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium/high. Add asparagus, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute for a few minutes until tender (3-4 minutes).
2. Assemble by placing 8 asparagus stalks on a plate. Top with poached egg, ¼ cup tomatoes, and 1 TBS goat cheese. Add additional salt and pepper to egg if desired. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

4 servings, 191 calories per serving (1 egg)

Broccoli, Bacon & Egg Cups

Published Aug 6, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Egg cups have been all the rage lately, and it seems like they are popping up everywhere. I have seen them offered on some brunch menus, all over pinterest, and as cute appetizers at different parties. It makes sense because they are easy to make, apparently freeze well, and are delicious.

It really is a great idea to make a bunch of these, freezer individually and then pop 2 into the fridge at night for a quick grab and go breakfast the following morning. I hear these are kid friendly too ! I didn't try these specific egg cups, because they include bacon and I made them for work, but they did look and smell delicious.

I would definitely try these at home with maybe spinach or tomatoes in place of the bacon. These are super healthy and only have 5 points per serving (3 cups per serving).

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Broccoli, Bacon, and Egg Cups

Ingredients

6 slices uncooked turkey bacon sliced crosswise into 1⁄4-inch strips
2 cups uncooked broccoli frozen, chopped
1 small uncooked red onion chopped
1.5 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 TBS all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs
3 large egg whites
4 TBS parmesan cheese grated, freshly grated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

Place the oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350ºF. Heavily spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat. Add the bacon and sauté until crispy, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Return the skillet to the heat. Add the broccoli, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning; cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the flour and the cooked bacon. Set aside to cool.
Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, egg whites, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until blended. Stir in the cooled vegetable mixture, then spoon evenly into the muffin cups. Bake until set in the center, about 20 minutes.
To remove, run a narrow rubber spatula or knife around the edge of each muffin cup. Yields 3 mini egg cups per serving.

Recipe Notes

If you have leftovers, they reheat beautifully in the microwave. You can make the vegetable mixture and the egg mixture (minus the buttermilk) up to a day in advance; store them in separate containers in the refrigerator. Simply whisk in the buttermilk right before cooking.
Choose bagged frozen broccoli over the solid-brick type. Its flavor and texture are usually better, and it’s easy to measure out the allotted amount.
Makes 4 servings, 3 cups per serving. 5 WW points per serving

Simple Brussels Sprouts

Published Jul 31, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

A few weeks ago I was looking for a healthy and hearty vegetable to serve as a side with dinner. I wasn't sure what to make, but I felt like trying something different. A few of my friends suggested trying brussels sprouts, but I was skeptical. I actually had never even tried these mini cabbages, but I always thought they were not tasty. I was wrong. I was wrong. I was wrong. These are so simple to make, and were delicious and healthy. They were satisfying and the more I research different brussels sprout recipes, the more intrigued I am to try them every way possible. This recipe is simple, and it's likely you already know how to make them. If you don't though, please give them a try. Like me, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Simple Brussels Sprouts — Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

1 Mesh Bag of Brussels Sprouts about 20, ends trimmed and cut in half
1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil use more if you want, I was trying to keep it light
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper or less if you don't like much pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Toss with hands to evenly coat sprouts with EVOO, salt, and pepper.
3. Dump onto a sprayed (pam) baking sheet. Stick in oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes, shaking the pan around every 10-15 minutes for even cooking. The sprouts should be brown on the outside when finished. Serve hot and with more salt if desired.

Recipe Notes

2 Servings, 10 sprouts (whole) each. 110 Calories per serving.

Guest Blog: Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls with Amy's Cilantro Sauce

Published Jul 30, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Today we have guest blogger, Nicole all the way from Las Vegas! She cooked up delicious Southwestern Egg Rolls with a to die for Cilantro Sauce (YUM!). These rolls remind me of the ones people always order at Chili's and other 'Mexican' restaurants, but now you can make them at home! I would love to try these without the chicken and with extra beans instead. I think they would be delicious!! A big thank you to Nicole for this awesome recipe and blog post!! Here we go!

Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls with Amy's Cilantro Sauce

Whenever I have a potluck to attend or plan on having guests over I want to make a delicious comfort food that I know they'll love. The one recipe that I make often (not often enough my husband says) is my southwestern egg rolls. They are simple, easy and affordable. In a nutshell they're mini fried burritos. Who doesnt love good fried mexican food?! Its best to do this recipe early in the morning because they will need to be frozen for four hours before cooking.

This recipe makes enough for 4 people, 10 servings. OR since you freeze them you can make tons and then only cook half and save the other half for another night.

You will need:

2 tablespoon EVOO
1 Garlic clove
2 (diced) Skinless boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoon green minced onion (in this dish i will be leaving it out since my guest is allergic)
Half large green bell pepper
1 can corn kernels
1 can black beans
1 ½ cups cheese (monterey or mexican blend)
4 tablespoon chopped frozen spinach
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
⅔ teaspoon salt
1 Jalapeno pepper (or more if you like it spicy!)
10-12 (6 inch) flour tortillas. I like to use the whole wheat.

Lastly, A deep fryer (with oil) or if you want a healthier alternative you can bake them but they will not be as crunchie and golden.

To begin, dice both chicken breasts into small bite sized pieces. Pour the EVOO and garlic clove into a large pan, let it warm then add the diced chicken. Cook until no longer pink, on medium heat about 10 minutes.

In this time you'll be chopping and dicing the bell pepper, jalapenos and using your can opener to open the cans of corn and black beans.

Once chicken is cooked, add ALL ingredients EXCEPT the cheese into pan at once, including all spices.

Let it cook until aroma fills the air and makes you want to eat it right then and there! About 5 minutes. Next, you'll turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well.

Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot. You'll want them soft enough so they fold easily and do not break. Spoon amounts of the mixture into each tortilla.

Fold both ends of tortillas, then roll tightly. The tighter the better. Secure with toothpicks so they dont unroll, because that would be annoying!

Arrange in a dish, or like I do, I put them in a zip block bag, and place in the freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours. You'll want them hard so they go easily into the fryer or oven and cook evenly.

In a large, deep skillet, (or like i use, a deep fryer) heat oil for deep frying to 375 degrees. Deep fry frozen, stuffed tortillas 5-10 minutes each, or until dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels otherwise they are greasy.

If you want to bake them, set your oven to 450 degrees and leave them in for 10 minutes or until golden (perhaps giving a quick spray of pan spray to the outside, to help them crisp up).

Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls with Amy's Cilantro Sauce

These can be served with sour cream, but I will say that the best dip for these are Amy's cilantro cream sauce. Blend 8oz cream cheese, 1 tablespoon sour cream, 1 can tomatillo salsa, 1 teaspoon ground pepper, 2 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, 1 bunch cilantro & 1 tablespoon lime juice.

Easy peasy and delicious!!

Nicole Garnica lives in Las Vegas NV, originally from San Gabriel, CA.

Currently a Stay at Home Mom to 19 month old, Leilah Brooklynn.

So You Want to Shop at Costco? Here is What You Should Buy!

Published Jul 25, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Lately I have been shopping a little more often at Costco, but it is still difficult for me to spend more than 10-20 minutes at a time in there. I always have my 19 month old son with me, and often he screams until I take him out of the cart seat. He loves to 'push' the cart around, and usually this would be okay if it were the middle of a random weekday, but it's always after work, or on the weekend, and most people that shop at Costco know just how crowded it can be at those times. So, a 19 month old pushing a gigantic Costco shopping cart into every display, leg, ankle, and little kid wondering around in the store is not a good idea. Anyway, so I was telling my friend that I never really get a chance to browse around at Costco and see new things and great deals. I always know what I need, and I am in and out. So the staples I always buy at Costco:

Costco Quinoa, 4lb bag for $9.99 (prices vary by location)

Organic Quinoa. I use quinoa all the time in cooking, and if you haven't tried it, you need to ASAP (go to costco now). It is a 'superfood', delicious, filling, easy to cook, and really no negatives at all. If you live rice and other grains you will like it. It absorbs the flavor of whatever you cook it with, so it is very versatile. I recently made Quinoa and Tomato Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms and they were delicious. Anyway, if you have purchased quinoa from other stores, you know it is pricey. I have seen it at kroger for $8.99 for a 1lb box, at Whole Foods for $14.99 for 1.5lbs. You can order it off Amazon as well (the same bag is over $17 on amazon), but I still don't see any prices that come close to matching Costco's price.

Portabella mushrooms (or mashrums as some would say...)!!!! Generally I would never buy produce in 'bulk', but these babies are super cheap and we eat A LOT of mushrooms in our house. This 18oz package cost $4.99. That is nearly .28 cents per ounce. At Kroger (I usually compare to Kroger because that is the main grocery store I shop at), you can buy a 6oz package, of not so good looking mushrooms, for $3.99, which is roughly .67 cents per ounce. Kroger is 2.5 times more expensive for these bad boys. I actually wanted to buy like 5 packs when I discovered these, but then I decided to be reasonable and only buy one for the time being....I can always return next week.

Bananas are another good buy at Costco. They come 8-10 per bag, and cost $1.40-$1.50. Considering bananas are usually around .50 per lb, it usually cost about $2 for around 6 bananas. My toddler eats these things like they are going to disappear of the planet next week, so it's a good deal for us. If you are thinking, "well I can't eat that many bananas before they go bad," please see this recipe, and this recipe and thank me later.

Milk! Another thing my toddler drinks a ton of! My husband and I don't drink too much milk, but we easily go through a gallon a week with out son. Costco sells there milk for $1.99 per gallon (prices vary by location), and you do not have to buy it in bulk (you can get just one!). That is at least .70 cents cheaper than what they sell it for at the other local grocery stores.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If you are like me, and cook a lot, you go through a lot of oil. It is expensive and that price definitely adds up. This is one thing that is really smart to buy in a large quantity because it will last you a while, and it's something most people need often. I have seen prices jump around, but it's always lower per ounce than anything I have seen anywhere else...and it's good too!

If you have a Costco membership, you likely know how tasty their pizza is from their food court area. It is so cheesy and gooey and delicious, but did you know that you can take a pizza home with you and bake it yourself? They actually have 2 options. You can call the food court and have them sell you a premade pizza (baked or not) for $9.99. It is huge, like 18 inches. Or you can browse their premade (daily) pizzas in the back of the store in the refrigerated section. They usually have different kinds such as Pepperoni, Pesto Margarita (as seen above) which is my fav and sooo yummy, also Hawaiian, Cheese, and 256 Meat Pizza (may or may not be an exaggeration). I like picking up the pizza (prices range from $7.99-$9.99), and then baking it at home. You eat 1-2 slices of this pizza and you are FULL. Trust me, try it out.

Their Optical Department is awesome. You can get an exam for $49 (glasses), or $99 (contacts). On top of the cheap exam, lenses and contacts are also heavily discounted here. A few years ago I was wearing a very expensive contact, and it was $30 cheaper PER BOX at Costco than it was ordering at 1800contacts. Frames and lenses are also cheaper, and the quality is perfect. They even have designer frames, which are a little more expensive obviously, but no where near the cost you would pay anywhere else. CBS News did their research and says, "For $49, a licensed optometrist will perform a vision and eye health exam in an in-store exam room. A week later, you can pick up your specs. In a survey by Consumer Reports, 30,000 lens-wearers chose Costco as their favorite optical retailer over vision store chains, independent optical shops, and private doctors’ offices. Costco Optical earned the highest scores for overall satisfaction as well as for price, with its $157 median price for glasses. Compare that price with an average of $211 at independent optical shops, $212 at private eye doctors’ offices, and $228 at Pearle Vision. Costco also stood out for lack of problems, such as loose lenses, distorted vision, or damaged frames in the first weeks after purchase."

Lastly, their photo department. Prints are only .13 per pictures (sometimes they have coupons, too), and you can load at home and order for them to be delivered or you can pick them up. They have all kinds of picture services such as calendars, tee-shirts, coffee mugs, blankets, and much more. I have ordered several things and they are always great quality.

So, that is that! If you want to shop at Costco these are some must adds to your list! What do you like to buy at Costco? Do you have any more great suggestions for me? Like I said, I don't get much time to browse so I could be missing something great!

Quinoa & Tomato Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Published Jul 19, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I was searching for a good recipe for portabella mushroom caps and found a few yummy ideas. Grilled caps, caps stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella, caps with a balsamic glaze...all kinds of ideas! I was thinking to do the caps stuffed with tomatoes and cheese, but I realized I didn't have all the ingredients. I had started cooking the mushrooms and thought I needed to 'stuff' it with something that was going to be more filling because it was going to be our entire meal...I don't really cook many sides when at home. Immediately I thought of quinoa! I could mix it with the tomatoes and it would be filling and healthy. Perfect. Rice cooker out, quinoa in, 10 minutes later it was ready to go. I also decided to add a slice of melted Lite Jarlsburg cheese to the top, which made it feel decadent and creamy. I didn't follow any specific recipe for this dish, so I am claiming it as my own. It was really tasty, not too filling (I wasn't too full, but I wasn't hungry either), and really healthy. With only 231 calories, 4 grams of fat, and 14 grams of protein, this was a total win! I will definitely be making these again!

Quinoa and Tomato Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Quinoa Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps

Ingredients

6 oz Portabella caps I have seen packs of 2 or 3, I get a pack of 2 since there are only 2 of us
1 can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with garlic, although I love the pepper kind too!
2 slices of Lite Jarlsberg Cheese probably any cheese would be tasty
1 cup Cooked Quinoa

Instructions

1. In a medium pan over medium heat add tomatoes. Let simmer while you prepare mushrooms.
2. Remove gills and stem from inside of mushrooms (spooning it out is the easy way!). Spray cooking spray in a different pan and set over medium/high heat. Lay mushrooms on pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Flip and cook on the other side.
3. Add quinoa to pan with tomatoes. Mix and turn heat off. Preheat broiler on HI.
4. Remove mushrooms from pan and place into baking dish (broiler safe) or on baking sheet. Divide mushroom mixture in half and spoon onto each mushroom (so each has ½ the mixture). Place slice of cheese on top. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese (watch it!).

Recipe Notes

**For me, the mixture was a little too much to put ½ cup of tomato mixture on each mushroom, so I put a little less than ½ and then served the rest on the side. It was really tasty even by itself!
Serves 2, see below for nutritional information (6 points per serving for WW)

Quinoa stuffed mushrooms — Quinoa and Tomato Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

For those of you on Weight Watchers, each serving has 6 points!

Love quinoa like I do? Check out these other great quinoa recipes!

Guilt-Free Spinach Dip - Low Cal, Low Fat, High Protein!!

Published Jul 16, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Spinach dip is one of those things that nearly everyone loves, and it is always around during the holidays, sporting events, cocktail parties, and pretty much whenever people get together. It is so yummy, but by taking a look at the ingredients, it is not healthy at all. Tons of mayo and sour cream bulk this recipe up with saturated fat and tons of calories. The standard serving is classified as 2 tablespoons.....TWO TABLESPOONS??? Who eats that little spinach dip? I mean, seriously?!?! In that small amount there are 8 grams of fat, 80 calories, and 2.5 grams of saturated fat (too much!), and no one eats just one serving! So last week I was craving spinach dip so bad after my friend, Stacey, posted a picture of her delicious spinach dip in a bread bowl on her way to a party. DROOL. I had to make it, literally. I went out to the store a few hours later and picked up all the ingredients. Once I got home I decided I would try to tweak the original recipe and replace a lot of the bad ingredients with Greek Yogurt. These days it seems like everything can be replaced with Greek yogurt. I always use it in place of sour cream, and I can never tell the difference so I figured it would be the same story for the spinach dip. I did decide to leave a tiny bit of reduced fat mayo in the recipe, because mayo has a certain zing that is hard to replicate, and I didn't want the recipe to feel like it was lacking something. Anyway, it turned out great! I worked out the nutritional information as well, and cut out all the saturated fat, reduced the fat by a ton, and the calories as well. I decided to make the serving a lot larger (⅔ cup), which to me seems more realistic.

This is how the nutritional information compares (both have 6, ⅔ cup servings)

I mean, look at the difference!!! By modifying with the greek yogurt you save 43 grams of fat, 350 calories, 14 grams of saturated fat, and you gain nearly 7 more grams of protein. This is a win!!!

Guilt-Free Spinach Dip - Low Cal, Low Fat, High Protein!! — Low fat, low cal, protein packed Spinach Dip!

Here is the recipe folks....

Guilt Free Spinach Dip - Low Cal, Low Fat, High Protein

Ingredients

1 packet Knorrs Vegetable Recipe Mix
¼ cup reduced fat mayo
10 ounces frozen spinach thawed and drained
22 ounces Fage total 0% yogurt or 2 cups+ ¾ cup
Chives to garnish optional

Instructions

Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite dippers.

Recipe Notes

A new serving idea: Hollow out cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes. Fill vegetables with Spinach Dip and garnish with a sprig of dill.

**My nutritional information does not include bread bowl or dippers.

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!-Allyson

Easy Yogurt Pops!

Published Jul 12, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Over the weekend I was grocery shopping and noticed a HUGE container of Greek God's Greek Yogurt on sale for only $1.89! I had to snatch it up, even though I had never tried it before because it was a huge steal and these yogurts are usually $6.99+, and it wasn't expiring for another 3 weeks (so why on sale?! Weird!)! My son looooves yogurt and usually eats one cup at least once a day....totally his favorite food. When I was putting the groceries away I realized that we already had a ton of yogurt. My mother-in-law totally stocked up while she was watching him when we were in Mexico last week. Oh no, what to do?! I remembered the Popsicle cups we bought at IKEA (you know, that we absolutely needed) last time we were there (only $1.99, score) and it hit me.....YOGURT POPS! You see, we recently let my son have ice cream for the first time, and he loved it. He ate it up and was crying for more. I am not a big ice cream person, so we rarely have it in the house, but I was thinking it would be really easy to trick him with these frozen yogurt pops! And....I was right!

This was so easy: Put yogurt in containers, freeze, remove, eat! These babies are only 51 calories per pop (and that is full fat yogurt, so fat free or low fat would be WAY less)!

I have to add though, after I bought this yogurt and tried it myself, I was super excited to find a yogurt that I really liked. I am not a big yogurt person, but this yogurt was sooo delicious and creamy and awesome. I googled it and ended up finding some interesting information, and I will not be buying it again. It's not even real 'greek yogurt', which is disappointing. The label is very misleading. It has an artificial thickener in it, called pectin, which is not all natural like the label also states. This yogurt has no where near the protein count of greek yogurt...it actually has half as much (only 6g per serving compared to the usual 12 in greek yogurt). It is also full fat (which is good for baby, not for me), and has 310 calories per serving!!!! Ugh. Anyway, I suggest trying this, but with a different greek yogurt. Chobani and Oikos have some really fun flavors that would probably be great as a yogurt pop!

Chickpea & Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Tomato Salad

Published Jul 11, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I am a big fan of veggie burgers and think they are a great healthier option to a big beefy burger. This reminds me....before I was a vegetarian and when I was living in Berkeley (this might be an oxy moron), I used to frequent this pub/bar with the BEST Blue Cheese Burger EVER. OMG, I am drooling just thinking about it. A big beef patty, a huge mound of blue cheese, and an buttered toasted roll. It was so so so good. Unfortunately, from what I have heard, Raleigh's burned down after changing ownership. Oh well, good for me since I would be tempted to devour it upon visiting the bay area. Anyway, back on topic. My boss found this Veggie Burger recipe from Weight Watchers and it looks pretty good for you chickpea/hummus lovers out there. I don't really eat chickpeas anymore because the texture really bothers my stomach (same with avocado, it sucks!), but these looked pretty appetizing. While I was making them I kept thinking it would be easy to turn them into little balls, too, and make them into a falafel type of meal. Also, the recipe called for 1 egg white, but I couldn't get the ingredients to bind well at all with just one, so I ended up using 2 and it was perfect.

This recipe is only 4 points on weight watchers for the whole meal! Salad and burger!! You could probably add a bun if you wanted for a few extra points as well. It is super healthy, packed with protein, and I think will even satisfy meat eaters. If you wanted, you could double or triple this recipe and freeze the patties for later use as well!

Anyway, I think the real star of this meal is the salad! It is such a pretty component and dressed up the burger so nicely! I made a cucumber and tomato salad with the left over veggies and it was so delicious and pretty!

Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers — Ingredients...there are lots! And so many colors!

Chickpea and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 cup cooked chickpeas
½ cup cooked brown rice
2 tablespoon dried plain bread crumbs whole wheat
3 tablespoon shredded carrots
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 tablespoon uncooked scallion s, minced (1 medium)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1 lg egg white I used 2 egg whites because the burgers wasn't binding well

Instructions

To make burgers, place chickpeas in bowl of a food processor; pulse for 10 second intervals until a course texture is reached, about 20 to 30 seconds total. Add rice and pulse again to combine, about 10 seconds more.
Spoon mixture into a large bowl. Add bread crumbs, carrots, parsley, scallions, lemon zest, coriander, salt and pepper; mix to combine. Add egg white and mix again to combine; refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to overnight.
Spray a grill rack or grill pan with cooking spray; heat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Form the mixture into 4 burgers using about ⅓ cup of mixture for each (I used a ½ cup but didn't fill it all the way up, it helped form a nice burger shape). Place burgers on the pan and spray the tops with cooking spray. Grill burgers, without moving them (don't move them-you want a nice crisp on each side!!), until golden brown and crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Carefully flip burgers and cook until golden brown and crispy on other side, about 6 minutes more. Yields 1 burger per serving.

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers Points: 4 per serving (salad and burger)

Tomato Salad

Ingredients

½ cup s cucumber(s), diced
¼ cup s sweet red pepper(s), diced
2 tablespoon uncooked red onion s, thinly slivered
¼ cup s grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil extra-virgin
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

To make salad, combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to combine and set aside.

Chickpea & Brown Rice Veggie Burgers with Tomato Salad

Caesar Roasted Cabbage

Published Jul 9, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

In my house we don't eat much cabbage, but when it was on super sale around St. Patricks day I decided to try a few different recipes. One I found that I really liked was a homemade baked egg roll recipe. It was really tasty, easy, and the cabbage tasted delicious. With the left over cabbage I made some stir fried cabbage with various veggies and soy sauce, which was also yum. Anyway, when I saw this Caesar Roasted Cabbage recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Budget Bytes, I decided to give it a go. It was pretty easy to make, and the only trouble I ran into was keeping the cabbage together, and it ruining my nonstick pan. I don't know why, but I have been having a lot of trouble with sticking lately. I use foil/spray/whatever, and it still sticks. Anyway, I ended up having to throw away my baking sheet which sucked, but I guess I need to be more careful with my cooking precautions. The cabbage turned out delicious and would make a great side to any meat or burger. It can probably be paired with anything actually. My husband even went as far as to say it, 'is the best cabbage' he has ever had! Woo!

This recipe is also SUPER cheap...like under $5 for sure. All you need is the dressing (which you might already have), and the cabbage. I have seen cabbage as low as 15 cents per lb, so be on the lookout for a good sale price and this recipe would be super cheap.

Caesar Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients

1 head of Cabbage
8 oz. caesar dressing not creamy

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Rinse under cool water and shake as much excess water from the cabbage as possible.
2. Cut the cabbage into wedges, leaving the stem/core intact (this will hold the wedges together during roasting). Place the wedges on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Brush the dressing onto all sides of the cabbage wedges, even the bottom.
3. Let the cabbage roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the wedges and your desired doneness. About half way through (15-20 minutes in), remove the cabbage and carefully turn wedges over to allow them to roast on the other side (tongs work best). The cabbage should be tender and brown and crispy on the outer edges.

Recipe Notes

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 35 min. Total time: 45 min.

Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes

$2 Lamp Refinished and a Serious Shade Struggle....

Published Jun 29, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Since refinishing our awesome grey dresser, I have been trying to decide what projects to work on next. One thing I noticed right away when we placed the dresser in our entry way, was that there really wasn't enough light. We have a 2 story entry way, with a light up on the ceiling, but it doesn't give off that much light down on the first floor, and it feels pretty dark especially at night. I often clean up the house after it is dark and it's extremely hard to see all the dust/dirt in the dark. So, I had been seeing some cool lamp refinishing projects on Pinterest, and since I certainly didn't want to spend lots of money on a lamp, I decided to try it myself. Over the course of a week I kept my eye out for a could be cool lamp at different thrift stores. I found the perfect subject after only a couple days and was quick to snatch it up.

There was a second matching lamp, which I kind of wish I would have bought now, but really we need only one (although more light might still be nice...or a higher wattage lightbulb...idk).

Anyway, I already had a can of matte white spray paint on hand, which I found at Big Lots for $1 a while back. I decided to use that. I used a wet cloth to clean up the lamp, but it wasn't really dirty so that was plus. Then I took it into the garage and proceeded to spray paint it to death.

About 5 minutes later:

I didn't really take many precautions in painting it. I knew the cord would be behind the dresser, and the top would be covered by the shade...so I just went crazy on it. I also didn't prime it, and I can't tell you yet if that was a good idea or not. The paint hasn't come off at all, so I am not too worried....yet.

So this is where things got difficult. I had purchased this table cloth for my grey dresser a while ago:

I folded it up and turned it into a runner for the dresser. Target actually had a runner, but it had a weird block white pattern through it that I really didn't like. So this is how that turned out:

So like I was saying, thing got difficult. Target also had a matching Lamp Shade (kind of, the yellow was a tad different) to go with this pattern, and I thought it would be perfect for my lamp. Well, I got it, put it on, and not only was it humongous, but I also felt it was too, too matchy.

Ignore other things on dresser, those will be removed for gallery wall.

And then, when I turned it on, I felt even more strongly about it being all wrong:

I hated the way the color changed so much with it on, and how transparent it was. Back to square one. I searched and searched and finally found a couple lamp shades from World Market that I thought could be nice. One grey (to tie in the dresser's grey color), and one 'indigo' or blue/purple shade. I was about to order them, but then I decided to think about it a little more. I know you are probably thinking, "Who puts this much thought into a lampshade?" Well, you found her. Anyway, the next day me and my huz were headed to a Yelp Elite event at some Mexican place in Atlanta. As we are stuck in traffic what do I notice in the shopping center we are passing?!?! World Market!!! I encourage my husband to make a quick stop, since we were already a little early, and I was sure it wouldn't take long to see if they had the shades...and we could save on shipping! Sure enough they did, but I couldn't decide in the store which was better. Well at $12.99 and $9.99 I ended up just taking both and would decide at home.

So, this is where things got even MORE difficult (I know, how is that possible?!). I tried the indigo and the grey and I just couldn't make a decision! They both look different when turned on, and both of the turned on looks turned me off. I mean, the purpose of this specific lamp is to be on and provide light, so I want it to look good when it is on. So I turned to my 300 closest friends and asked them their opinions.....Yellow (ugh), Indigo, or Grey?

Even with a ton of opinions, it was kind of a toss up. People seemed to like the indigo better when it was off, but then the grey when it was on. I still could not decide. Why is this so difficult for me?? It seems like any normal person would just make a decision and be done with it!!! Why am I spending hours stressing about an entry way lamp?!?! So then my friend, Lisa (thanks, girl!) actually suggested to line the lamp so that when it is turned on the color will still be true to the normal color when it is off. DING DING DING DING....this girl is a genius. Call Mensa, alert the presses, a decision can finally be made!!

So I did come to a decision on the color of the lampshade....

Yess!! Finally some decisiveness!

However, this is how my hallway looks today.....

I returned the yellow shade to target, but decided to keep both the indigo and grey. I plan to line both and then just change them periodically! Also, please ignore the messy dresser top...those pictures will be removed when I start my gallery wall! This lamp with the 2 different lampshades cost $25.98, so really not bad. If I had returned the other shade it would have been only $12.99 total.

Guest Blog: “Guiltless” Fettuccine Alfredo with Sautéed Mushrooms & Broccoli

Published Jun 27, 2012 by Allyson
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

I have noticed more and more recently a lot of 'Guest bloggers' being featured on some of the blogs I follow, and I decided I wanted to give it a try! I love sharing recipes with friends, and I know a lot of people that are kind enough to share their recipes with me! I am part of a 'Menu Planning' group that gives me inspirations for recipes, and keeps me in check (most of the time...) with my weekly meal planning. Since I started my blog a few months ago, the group has been really supportive of my blog and recipes! I thought it would be a great place to start to find some cool guest bloggers!

So, first up we have Shannon! She made a delicious 'Guiltless' Alfredo sauce to go with fettuccine with mushrooms and broccoli! For sure this is a girl after my heart! The only thing that could have made this whole experience better was if I had been invited over for dinner!!! I am going to add this recipe to menu in July! I can't wait to try it!! She also took the time to write this entire blog post, take the photos, and include a blurb about herself!! I am so excited to feature Shannon! Here we go!

“Guiltless” Fettuccine Alfredo with Sautéed Mushrooms & Broccoli

Who doesn’t love Alfredo sauce?

My thighs, that’s who. Just looking at the stuff makes my bathroom scale start doing its best Buzz Lightyear impression…To infinity and beyond! Seriously though, as an on again, off again Weight Watchers girl, I avoid cream sauces like the plague. My husband, on the other hand, often orders the creamy, carb hugging goodness when we go out to restaurants, and nothing happens to HIS thighs… the jerk.

Anyway, I stumbled across a “guiltless” Alfredo sauce recipe and thought we might as well give it a try. It runs right around 100 calories per ¼ c. serving, which my thighs are already thanking me for. It requires simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand and seemed very simple to make.

This would be great over grilled chicken, but we like to incorporate a few vegetarian meals in our repertoire each week, so I made this over pasta with sautéed baby portabella mushrooms and broccoli florets. My 18 month old son devoured it, and even asked for more “noodles” for breakfast the next morning.

Here goes:

You’ll need:

photo 1 (3) — This recipe is not for the lactose intolerant

And...

Veggies! You could definitely get creative here.
Spinach, peppers, and artichokes (read: bacon) would be great additions.

Start by heating some butter, and throwing in some garlic. I used pre-minced garlic in the jar for this because weeknights are not for doing everything from scratch.

We have a motto in my family that goes something like this, “MORE GARLIC.” While the garlic works its magic, blend the cream cheese and milk in a blender until smooth.

Add the blended mixture to the garlic and butter, and stir, stir, stir!

This is the part where you show your multi-tasking skills because on the next burner, start sautéing MORE garlic (refer to family motto) and throw in those veggies! Don’t forget to keep stirring the sauce!

Confession: I also used frozen broccoli and pre-sliced mushrooms. Guess what, it was still awesome!

That’s pretty much it. Once the sauce thickens, all you have to do is throw in the parmesan, stir it up, cover, and let it sit for about 10 minutes while you finish up everything else. The finished product looks something like this:

“Guiltless” Fettuccine Alfredo with Sautéed Mushrooms & Broccoli and a Guest Blogger!! — “Guiltless” Fettuccine Alfredo with Sautéed Mushrooms & Broccoli

My husband, the Alfredo expert, proclaimed this dish as delicious, though he could tell is wasn’t as heavy as the original version. To me that is a good thing, because I didn’t feel like a beached whale after eating dinner that night!

“Guiltless” Fettuccine Alfredo with Sautéed Mushrooms & Broccoli

Ingredients

3 oz. light cream cheese
2 c. low fat milk I used 1%
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. Butter
2-3 tbsp. Flour
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves minced garlic
8 oz. sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 head fresh or 1 package frozen broccoli florets
1 box of fettuccine
black pepper to taste

Instructions

Directions

1. In large pot, boil water (be sure to add salt!). Add fettuccine and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
2. While pasta water is heating, place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. In sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add half of the garlic. Let the garlic sauté for about 30 seconds, then add the blended mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more until it thickens.
3. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the parmesan. Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. As the sauce thickens, add olive oil to a pan and heat on med-high. Add the rest of the garlic and sauté until vegetables are soft (but not mushy).
**Leftover sauce can be reheated by adding a bit of milk to help thin it back out.

Recipe Notes

**A couple of notes: The sauce definitely needed pepper, but I did not want to compromise the color of the Alfredo, so we added it to our plates. If I had some ground white pepper on hand, I would have added that to the sauce as I was making it. Also, I doubled this recipe and that seemed to be just right for an entire box of pasta.

Recipe adapted from “Our Best Bites”

Shannon Brenner lives in Pittsburgh, PA. She is a career counselor, mother, wife, pretend chef, blogger, and Steelers fan (not necessarily in that order).

Thank you so much, Shannon!!!

Pecan Crusted "Fried" Chicken

Published Jun 26, 2012 by Allyson
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I made this recently for my boss and I thought it looked really good. It seems like a great alternative to frying chicken, it is healthy, and it was really easy to make. The recipe was found in the Weight Watchers Just 5 Ingredients cookbook. It has 5 or less ingredients, and doesn't take long to cook at all. The recipe has 6 weight watchers points per serving (4 servings). The recipe is pretty inexpensive as well, so that is great if you are on a budget. I would also say this is good for kids and could be a nice alternative to chicken nuggets. You could easily cut the breast into strips and coat it like to make a more chicken 'tender' look. While making this recipe I was reminded of the Pecan Trout I made not too long ago. It was essentially the same recipe, so I guess recipe could be alternated with chicken/fish/turkey...maybe even pork. I served this with a side of roasted broccoli and carrots, but probably any side vegetable or wild rice would be yummy.

Pecan Crusted "Fried" Chicken — Get your recipe ready!

Pecan Crusted "Fried" Chicken

Ingredients

¾ cup lowfat buttermilk
4 5 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast
¼ finely chopped pecans
⅓ cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1 tsp. Cajun Seasoning

Instructions

1. Pour buttermilk into medium sized bowl. Add chicken breast. Cover and let sit for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pecans, bread crumbs, and cajun seasoning in a shallow bowl or dish. Remove 1 chicken breast from buttermilk, let buttermilk drip off, and then dredge the chicken into mixture, coating both sides. Repeat with remaining chicken. Lightly spray chicken on both sides with non-stick spray.
3. Spray a large oven-safe nonstick skillet with non-stick spray and set over medium/high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to over and bake until chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes (depends on the thickness of your chicken).

Recipe Notes

FYI: Most skillets are oven-proof up to 350 degrees. If you aren't sure about yours, wrap the handle in aluminium foil twice. Or you can just transfer the chicken to a baking sheet (I did this because all my chicken didn't fit in the skillet at once).
Nutritional Information per serving (4 servings): 153 calories, 9 grams of fat, 32 grams of protein. 6 Weight Watchers points per serving.

Loaded Baked Potato Fries

Published Jun 25, 2012 by Allyson
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My husband and I really enjoy going to Bar Trivia, and used to go all the time before we had our son. Now that we have a little one at home, we try to go a few times a month. One place we love going, TJ's, has the best bar food ever. My husband loves their cheese fries, as do I, and we always order them. Served with delicious homemade ranch, they are so good, but so unhealthy. I wanted to find a recipe that was a little healthier (still not healthy), and just as tasty. I turned to one of my favorite food blogs, Budget Bytes, and she had a great looking recipe! I was super excited to try it because it was cheap, easy, and looked to be mouth watering.

I had my husband do most of the prep work while I was putting my son to bed, so I didn't get photos of the whole cooking process. I decided I wouldn't even take a final picture, but then once I tried the fries I had to document them! They are so good, I don't want anyone missing out! The spices are a really awesome combo and make the fries super delicious and the corn starch really helps them crisp up (and these are baked, not fried). From now on I will use this recipe while making any oven fries, even without the cheese. I bet the spice blend would be delicious on sweet potato fries as well. The original recipe calls for sour cream to be served with the fries, but I highly suggest homemade ranch. There is nothing better than ranch to go along with cheesy fries!

Also, if you are a fan of bacon on fries, you could easily throw on some cooked bacon on the top!

Loaded Baked Potato Fries

Ingredients

3-4 lbs Potatoes
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbs. Chili Powder
½ tsp. Paprika
¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
¼ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. cracked pepper
1.5 Tbs. corn starch
1 cup low fat shredded cheddar cheese
½ bunch chives

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash the potatoes well. Cut the potatoes into strips or "fries", approximate ½ inch thick.
2. Place the fries in a bowl and add the olive oil and worcestershire sauce. Toss to coat. In a small bowl combine the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Stir to combine the spices, then add to the bowl with the fries. Toss to coat once more.
3. Line a baking sheet (or two) with foil and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Spread the fries out on the baking sheet so that they are in a single layer and not piling up on each other. Use two baking sheets if needed. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
4. After 40 minutes, they should be slightly brown and crispy on the edges. If you cut your fries thicker, they may need more time in the oven. Transfer the fries to an oven safe casserole dish. Top with the shredded cheese and return to the oven for about 5 minutes more or until the cheese is fully melted. Chop the onions while the cheese is melting. Top the fries with the green onions and dollops of sour cream or ranch. Serve immediately!

Recipe Notes

Total Recipe cost: $5.81
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 1 hr.

Recipe adapted from Budget Bytes

Provolone White Bean Grilled Panini with Basil & Tomato

Published Jun 22, 2012 by Allyson
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When I first saw this recipe I knew I had to try is asap! It looks so delicious and creamy, yet not too unhealthy. I had never used white beans in a sandwich before, and while intrigued, I was a little skeptical that it would resemble hummus. I used to love hummus, but since I had my son I cannot eat it. Just having a tiny taste of it makes me have the worst chest pains. Same with avocado anything. It is so sad. My doctor said that it's the texture getting stuck in my esophagus and that's that is producing the pain....so I try to avoid anything that might be similar to these textures. I had no issue with this white bean mixture though, which made me really happy (especially because I didn't have to spend a few hours in excruciating pain).

Anyway, it is really easy to get the beans into a paste if you microwave them for about 30 seconds (drained and in a bowl) and then use a potato masher to mash them up. It takes a little elbow grease, but it's worth it. Also, if you don't have a potato masher, just use a sturdy fork. I still prefer using a fork to mash black beans. This recipe is for 4 sandwiches, but I cut it in half to make just 2. It was perfect!

There are two options on how to cook this sandwich (see instructions). One if for on the grill, which the original recipe called for. I don't have a grill so I used a pan, just like I usually do when I make a grilled cheese or something similar. It worked out fine for me, and I am sure was not so different, but I think using the grill is somewhat of a novelty. Try it, let me know how it is.

Provolone White Bean Grilled Panini with Basil & Tomato — Adding the tomatoes

Provolone White Bean Grilled Panini with Basil & Tomato

Ingredients

1 cup fresh basil leaves finely chopped
½ cup light mayonnaise
3 cups shredded smoked Provolone cheese about 8 oz.
1 15- oz. can white beans rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped red onion
8 slices of good bread sliced french, fresh rye, etc

Instructions

OPTION 1- on the grill

1. Preheat grill to medium high. Combine basil and mayonnaise in small bowl, and set aside. Use potato masher to mash beans up. Toss together cheese, beans and onion in medium bowl.
2. Spread 1 Tbs. mayonnaise mixture on each roll. Divide bean-cheese mixture among rolls. Close sandwiches, spritz with cooking spray and wrap in foil.
3. Wrap 4 bricks in foil. Place 4 sandwiches on grill, and set bricks on top of each. Grill 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

OPTION 2- In a skillet on the stove top

1. Combine basil and mayonnaise in small bowl, and set aside. Use a potato masher to mash beans up. Toss together cheese, beans and onion in medium bowl.
2. Spread 1 Tbs. mayonnaise mixture on each roll. Divide bean-cheese mixture among rolls. Close sandwiches, spritz with cooking spray.
3. Place sandwich into skillet and cook on medium until golden brown on each side (about 3 minutes on medium heat).

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times.

More Gallery Wall

Published Jun 19, 2012 by Allyson
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I posted a couple weeks ago about the maps that I have fallen in love with while in the process of putting together a gallery wall. These types of walls are very popular right now, and it seems like a really cool way to display things that have meaning to you and are creative and cool. I have found a couple more cool things to add.... (ignore the pink borders, wordpress adds that automatically and would not be around the actual print).

A DIY eyechart! I think these are so cool. I found a really great website that will make them for you, with any words you want, as long as you agree not to sell them. You can check it out here. I made the chart, and then edited it in photoshop to get the final look. I added the heat sign, and then the black boarder. I think framed this would look awesome!

Before the edit above

After the edit....This is a simple edit which can be done in many free programs as well.

I also love these blue prints, but they would likely need to be edited so the writing would be clear. The quality of the copy is too small to have the writing come out clear enough.

I also really like simple words or phrases on canvas. These could be really nice, especially since I am obsessed with the yellow and grey color combo.

I would really love to make a large world map and pinpoint all the places we have been together. This would be difficult though, because every time we travel we would have to replace it. I mean, I guess it wouldn't be that bad considering we don't travel that much now that we have a child, but hopefully we would be able to add more places in the near future!

Do you have any idea's for a gallery wall? How about a wall that inspires you?

Substitute Greek Yogurt for.....Everything!

Published Jun 13, 2012 by Allyson
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Yesterday I had a ton of traffic on my blog and at first I wasn't sure why. It is nice the wordpress allows you to see how many visits you have, and where people came from. Using those tools I found out that a few of my recipes had been pinned by Chobani Yogurt, and that was bringing in a lot of traffic. I headed over to Chobani to see what was going on and there they were, a few of my recipes pinned in several different catagories! It was very exciting. They featured my Corn Fritters with Cilantro Lime Dip, and the Chicken and White Bean Chili. With all the attention I also had 100's of repins, which was also exciting! Thank everyone for visiting my blog!!

While poking around on Chobani's blog I found a really handy conversion chart. Apparently you can substitute greek yogurt for a ton of different things...butter, oil, sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, and more! It will turn a recipe healthier and packs a huge punch of protein! Here is the chart:

What are you going to use Greek Yogurt for from now on? I am a totally believer after the Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread...it was sooooo moist and delicious, and since there was no oil or butter in it, I know it was because of the yogurt!

Chive-Mustard Chicken With Sugar Snap Peas

Published Jun 11, 2012 by Allyson
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I made this recipe last week for my boss and it seems pretty tasty. The sauce with the snap peas was delicious, so I can imagine paired with the chicken it would be really good. The recipe is from Fit Magazine, so it is also pretty healthy. I have included the nutritional information below, along with the WW point (7). This was quick to make and had minimal ingredients, most things you probably have in your pantry right now! If you want to try this with fish or pork in place of chicken, that would probably be yummy as well.

Chive-Mustard Chicken With Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4, 6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used more)
½ cup white wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup chopped shallots or red onion
½ pound sugar snap peas strings removed
¼ cup chopped chives

Instructions

1. Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Lightly dredge chicken breasts in flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture.
2. In a small bowl, combine wine and mustard; stir in broth.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 table-spoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and saute until golden, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Reduce heat to medium, add shallots and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in reserved flour mixture and cook until dissolved, about 30 seconds. Add wine mixture and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
5. Return chicken to skillet with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until chicken is just cooked, about 2 minutes a side. Place a chicken breast on each of four dinner plates.
6. Add peas to skillet and return sauce to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium low and simmer until peas are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Stir in chives. Divide peas among plates and spoon sauce over chicken.

Recipe Notes

Makes: 4 servings
Prep: 20 mins Cook: 10 mins
Nutritional facts per serving: 348 calories, 40g protein, 13g carbs, 12 g fat, (2 g saturated fat), 2 g fiber

7 WW points

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread - Healthy & Delicious!

Published Jun 8, 2012 by Allyson
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All my friends know I am crazy about banana bread. I found the best recipe ever, and I make it all the time. Even people who aren't a fan of bananas usually like it. It's really delicious. Anyway, of course I am browsing pinterest the other night and I see a recipe for a healthy strawberry banana bread. The recipe uses whole wheat flour, brown sugar or a sugar substitute, and greek yogurt. No butter, no oil, no white flour....how can this turn out well? I was practically drooling over the photos she posted so I decided I needed to make this asap. I remembered that we had 2 brown bananas in the fridge, and after reading the recipe, I knew we had all the other ingredients as well. I decided to make it while dinner was baking...I was already in the kitchen anyway, right?

About an hour later it was ready. At first I wasn't sure how it had turned out because the top was a little browner than usual. But, then I remember the wheat flour and thought maybe that was why. As I cut into the bread I could see it was super moist and already I was drooling again. This is a great 'healthy' recipe that really makes you feel like you are indulging. It is going to be a staple from now on! Try it, you will LOVE IT! The girl over at No Sugar Sweet Life is a genius!!

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread....Healthy and Delicious! — Bananas (I only used 2)

Greek Yogurt Strawberry Banana Bread....Healthy and Delicious!

Ingredients

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup brown sugar or ¼ cup agave
3 large ripe bananas I used 2
2 eggs
6 oz. Chobani Strawberry Banana Greek yogurt I used Strawberry
1 cup diced fresh strawberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Start by combining flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, mash bananas with a fork until they are gooey and liquid-like.
Add eggs and sugar and mix thoroughly.
Add greek yogurt
Whisk until everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. At this point, fold in the fresh strawberries!
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and distribute evenly.
Put into the oven and bake for one hour, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean (55 minutes for me).
Transfer to a cooling rack and (try to) let the bread cool for at least ten minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from The No Sugar Sweet Life blog.

You can also connect with me here:

Thanks for visiting!-Allyson

Linguine in Tex-Mex Pepper Cream Sauce

Published Jun 1, 2012 by Allyson
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This is a super quick and easy meal to throw together. You probably have a lot of the ingredients already, which make it cheap too! You can throw most of the ingredients (ok not the pasta) into the food processor and save yourself a lot of prep time.

The taste in this recipe came together very nicely. The original recipe called for pumpkin seeds as a garnish, but since they didn't carry them at my local grocery store I opted to leave those off. It may have been a nice addition, but without them the recipe did not feel like it was missing anything. Also, since I started using Cajun Spice when cooking, I have become addicted to it. So I did throw some in the sauce here for good measure as well (but I guess it's not necessary).

For someone wanting meat in their dinner, this would be great for chicken or shrimp. I would saute the chicken up in the cajun seasoning, set aside after cooked, and then cook the veggies and follow the rest of the recipe. Add chicken/shrimp on top of pasta at the end.

Linguine in Tex-Mex Pepper Cream Sauce — Ingredients

Linguine in Tex-Mex Pepper Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 teaspoon Cajun Spice
1 red bell pepper diced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
¼ cup cilantro plus more for garnish
4- ounce can mild diced green chiles
⅔ cup shredded Reduced Fat Mexican cheese blend
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to taste
1 pound linguine pasta

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers and salt and cajun spice and cook until tender stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions
2. Place the veggie mixture into a food processor with sour cream, cilantro, green chilies, cheese, cayenne and black pepper. Puree until smooth scraping the sides as needed.
3. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Plate and garnish with cilantro.

DIY Crayon Art

Published May 30, 2012 by Allyson
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Ever since I joined Pinterest last year, I have seen these Crayon Art projects pop up on my feed all the time. I always thought they were really cool, and immediately looked into how to do them. A couple weeks after seeing them I was grocery shopping and spotted a ton of 24 count crayola crayon boxes on clearance. It was a sign! I decided it would be a fun activity for the twins and I to do one rainy day. I looked for the best tutorial and found one at the Nap Time Craft Time Blog. Instead of trying to use the sun though, I just went straight to the hair dryer. I found it took a reallyyyyy long time to get the crayons melted with the hair dryer though, and it also made a big mess. So for the 2nd one we did, we used the oven. I lined the bottom of the oven with foil so there would be no mess to clean up, and that was definitely a good idea (no mess!). Feel free to ask me questions, because that is the only explanation you are going to get here. I will answer whatever you want though!

Since we used 2 different techniques to melt the crayons, we came out with 2 very different end products. Which one do you like better?

Salsa Poached Eggs & Cheese Grits

Published May 29, 2012 by Allyson
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I have posted a couple other recipes involving eggs, so it is probably pretty obvious that we eat a lot of eggs and we love them in our house. I have been digging poached eggs lately, and when I saw this budget friendly recipe for Salsa Poached Eggs on Budget Bytes, I was so excited to try it. But......then I noticed the side she used in the original recipe were grits. I am not a huge fan of grits, although they have grown on me a little bit since living in the south. I actually really didn't like them until I had the most amazing tomato basil cheese grits at Buckhead Diner. They were to die for, and I have been wanting to find a mock recipe for those since (stay tuned for that...). So, I figured that maybe with the sauce and egg that the grits would come together nicely....and my husband loves them, so I knew he would enjoy it regardless.

You might be wondering if this is a breakfast recipe....but I made it for dinner. I think that it could be breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner! It's good for any meal! Also, if you don't like a runny egg then you can definitely cook longer to harden the yolk...probably 12-14 minutes simmering (you can poke it to test).

I modified the recipe a tiny bit, so I will adjust the recipe I post below as well. This turned out really delicious and I will definitely be making it again. Also, the total cost for this recipe was around $4.50, which is crazy cheap. Per serving only $1.13!! It is pretty healthy, and with the grits it is extremely filling. Score!

Salsa Poached Eggs with Cheese Grits — Salsa Poached Eggs & Cheese Grits

Salsa Poached Eggs & Cheese Grits

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium vidalia onion chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
3 oz. tomato paste
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
pepper to taste
4-5 large eggs
3-4 sliced green onions

Ingredients for Quick Grits

3 cups water
¾ cup quick cooking grits
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup reduced fat extra sharp cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

1: Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet along with the minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (5-10 minutes).
2: Once the onions are translucent, add the roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and diced green chilies. Also stir in ½ cup of water, ¾ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of cumin. Stir everything together and allow it to come up to a simmer over medium heat.
3: Make four or five indentations in the sauce with the back of a large spoon. Crack an egg into each. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top of the skillet and allow the mixture to simmer while you make the grits. It should take about 10 minutes of simmering on low with a lid for the eggs to poach.
4: In a medium pot with a lid, bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a rolling boil, stir in the ¾ cup of quick cooking grits and ¾ teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to cook on the lowest heat setting for 5 minutes. After five minutes it should be thick. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter and then the cheese. Place the lid back on the pot to keep them warm until you're ready to serve.
5: Once the eggs are done cooking, spoon some grits into a bowl and top with an egg and a spoonful or two of the tomato sauce. Add sliced fresh green onions on top.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes 4 servings and each serving has 7 WW points. Enjoy!

Vertical Garden? Sure, why not?!

Published May 23, 2012 by Allyson
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For the longest time I have wanted to start my own garden. Growing up in Michigan, my dad had a small garden in the backyard. He would grow horseradish, which took over a huge area, zucchini's, onions, and tomatoes (and I might be forgetting some other things). I remember having tomato 'fights' when my cousins would come to visit, and we would all wind up stained with tomato juice.....and my dad would be wondering where all his cherry tomatoes disappeared too...oops! When I lived in California, I was able to help with the family garden which was awesome. It was more of a vegetable garden, and yielded a huge amount of veggies. I remember making batch after batch of delicious zucchini bread and there was still always more to spare. Then I moved to NYC where it is impossible to have a garden, unless you have a penthouse apartment that includes a sprawling rooftop patio. Clearly, I was not living the high life so I was not able to have a garden. However, farmers markets are extremely popular in NYC in the summer/spring, so I was able to get lots of fresh seasonal produce that way.

So now we are in our own house in Georgia, and it seems like we need a garden. I would love to have a huge garden, but our yard does not have the space for that. We have a townhome, and while the yard is plenty big for our liking, it is not big enough for a sprawling garden. However, it just hit me! Instead of building horizontally on the ground, why not build UP, against the fence?!?! Could this be done? I didn't know! I consulted some friends and pinterest and found it is indeed possible. I think I am a little late to the game for this year (it's already in the 80's here, and is just getting hotter by the day), but I do want to start doing a little. I think I will put 'Garden' on my to do list for next winter. I can hopefully build something and then be ready to plant by spring!

Here are some inspiring garden idea's for small spaces:

This seems easy enough to build, and it wouldn't take up much space. If you have a lot of space you could build a larger design or several. Click here for instructions.

garden 2 — DIY Pallet Garden from Apartment Therapy

Recycling pallets are soooo popular right now! DIY Pallet Garden. Click here for instructions from Apartment Therapy.

This is another idea from apartment therapy. I like the look of this, but having a toddler I would worry that somehow it could get knocked over (although it may be unrealistic, I am a mom and I worry!). Click here for instructions.

This looks extremely difficult, but I still like it in terms of inspiration. I guess you would have to contact the London Garden Designers for more information.

I absolutely LOVE this idea!! It would be perfect for herbs or smaller plants!!! I love the colors and it looks really easy with minimal supplies!! Score!! They use these things called 'Hang a Pot', which can be found here! They hold up to 100lbs, so you could even do larger pots!

This is sooo smart and simple! I love this idea and think it may be the big winner for this year!! I am definitely going to take some time to do this easy project in the next week or so. See instructions on the awesome blog, Living Grace.

I will definitely update as we get things put up and planted!