Banana Balls

So far, the month of clean eating has been a challenge.  Our schedule has been a little crazy with little time to prepare for the unexpected.  Mr. J's grandfather passed away last week so most of our week consisted of traveling back home to be with family.  But we are still trying to stay on track as much as possible and I will have to say we have some new favorites.  Sweet potato chili was a huge hit in the house.  Miss A actually wanted more and then asked for it the next day.

The problem I have when trying to eat clean is I am a snacker.  And I want a snack normally at night, after dinner.  Mr. J and I have found a new love for grapefruit and we have eaten an embarrassing number over the last couple of weeks.  But sometimes, you need something more than a piece of fruit.  These banana balls were loved by everyone in the house and satisfied the craving for something a little more than grapefruit.

Banana Balls

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 T pure maple syrup
• 1 T all-natural nut butter (Use your favorite)
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 6 T unsweetened, shredded coconut
• pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until a dough begins to form.
Drop balls, teaspoon size, onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Enjoy :)

I will say, that we gobbled a lot of them down after baking them, but with the extras, I placed in the refrigerator and then re-warmed the next day on 400 for about 5-10 minutes.  I preferred the texture the next day.  They were even more awesome!

A Month of Clean Eating

Pregnancy...oh pregnancy.  Between being sick, sick and sick and then the exhaustion and the cravings...let's just say that eating hasn't been the greatest in our house.  Don't get me wrong, we didn't go just crazy, but I can tell my eating has been off, for a while. Mr. J and I both can tell our bodies are begging for us to get back to clean eating.  At first I decided we should just do the whole 30, totally cleanse ourselves.  And then I decided we should go strictly paleo.  But there are just some things I am not willing to give up yet (black beans, greek yogurt (check the package for sugar!), and some dairy).  So we are just cleaning up our eating for the next month.  When I posted on FB about meal planning, many asked that I share the menu.

So, below is the menu we will be using for the next month.  I have not tried many of these recipes, so this could be interesting.  Also, I get really bored eating the same things, over and over, so there are many different recipes!

Want to join us? Let me know if you do! I would love to know how it goes!

30 Days of Clean Eating

Day 1- Roast and Potatoes

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/01/easiest-delicious-crock-pot-beef-ever/

Day 2- Chicken Fajita Bowls

Day 3- Coconut Green Chili Soup

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2014/01/creamy-coconut-green-chili-chicken-soup-dairy-gluten-free-slow-cooker-recipe/

Day 4- Apple Pork Chops & green beans

http://www.bestfoodcloud.com/2013/09/apple-spice-pork-chops.html

Day 5- Sweet Potato Nachos

http://paleogrubs.com/nacho-recipe

Day 6- Burger Balls and fries

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2014/03/10/bacon-jalapeno-burger-balls/

Day 7- zuppa toscana

http://whole30.com/2014/11/best-whole30-recipes-baby-cold-outside/

Day 8- Best chicken Ever and mixed Veggies

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

Day 9- Stir Fry

Day 10- Mushroom Bake

http://popularpaleo.com/2012/12/04/paleoitalianmushroombake/

Day 11- Pan Fried Lemon Chicken and Sweet Potato

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/07/10/easy-pan-fried-lemon-chicken/

Day 12- Stuffed Peppers

Day 13- Buffalo Chicken Fingers and Baked Potato

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2014/03/30/crispy-buffalo-chicken-fingers/

Day 14- Sweet potato Chili

http://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/2014/09/24/paleo-sweet-potato-chili/

Day 15- Chicken fajita Bowls

Day 16- Chicken Zucchini Bites

http://www.onelovelylife.com/chicken-zucchini-poppers-gf-df/

Day 17- Stir Fry

Day 18- Best chicken Ever and Mixed Veggies

http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2009/06/09/the-best-chicken-you-will-ever-eat-ever/

Day 19- Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Day 20- orange chicken and steamed veggies

http://www.paleocupboard.com/orange-chicken.html

Day 21- Roast chicken and Baked Sweet Potatoes

http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2014/01/09/easy-slow-cooker-roast-chicken/

Day 22- Pan Fried Lemon Chicken and Green Beans

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/07/10/easy-pan-fried-lemon-chicken/

Day 23- Stir Fry

Day 24- Slow Cooker Curry

http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/2014/01/coconut-chicken-curry-slow-cooker-paleo.html

Day 25- Beef and mushroom Stir Fry

http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/ginger-beef-mushroom-kale-stir-fry-recipe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+gimmesomeoven+(Gimme+Some+Oven)

Day 26- Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Day 27- Chicken Wings and Fries (See Burger Balls Recipe)

http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/12/15/jalapeno-lime-chicken-wings-paleo-ranch-dressing-meatified/

Day 28- Slow Cooker Thai Beef Stew

http://stupideasypaleo.com/category/whole30-2/page/2/

Day 29-Orange chicken and steamed veggies

http://www.paleocupboard.com/orange-chicken.html

Day 30- Stuffed Peppers

Meatballs with Curry Sauce

I tried to think of some witty title for this post, but I can't.  Because, seriously, it is all about this dish. Meatballs+curry sauce= major love in this household.  So, without further ado, here is an excellent recipe, that you should make, tonight.

Meatballs with Curry Sauce

Meatballs

• 2 lbs ground pork (use whatever protein you like here, but we really like the pork!) 
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions
• Salt and Pepper 

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, mix all meatball ingredients.  Mix well.  I have found the best way is to just get down and dirty and mix with your hands. Form into balls.  Mine were probably between 1 and 1.5 inches.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet.  (I also spray my foil with cooking spray)  Cook for 10 minutes and then flip meatballs and bake for 5-10 more.  I probably cook my meatballs a little on the long side, but I love the nice crunch that they get on the outside.

While the meatballs are cooking, make your Curry Sauce.

Curry Sauce

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup onion, very finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (if you want, use more! I do!)
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs light brown sugar
• 1 can coconut milk 

Prepare the curry sauce in a medium/large saucepan by sauteing the onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat in the oil.  Saute until onions are soft.  Stir in curry powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar.  Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 minutes.

When the meatballs are finished place the meatballs in the curry sauce. Simmer over low for about 2 minutes.

Serve with rice.  Or eat alone.

Enjoy! :)

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Day 1, Week 1

I am a firm believer that healthy food does not have to be "bland" or "boring".  I do not do well with eating the same things over and over and I knew this would be one of my biggest issues with this nutritional challenge.  But I refused to let boring food be the thing that made me back out of doing this challenge! So I have made it my mission to make fun, flavorful food!  

We really enjoyed this meal!  They were full of flavor and satisfying.

Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Adapted from: BevCooks

Enough for about 10 good size wraps

• 2 Tbs EVOO
• 3 large chicken breast
• 2-3 chipotle peppers with sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cups red bell pepper, diced
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1/8 cup green onion, sliced thinly 
• Romain or Butter Lettuce, rinsed and leaves separated 
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season your chicken with your salt, pepper and garlic and sear for about 6-8 minutes on each side until cooked through and is browned.  Move to a cutting board and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Chop chicken into small bites.

In a food processor, my favorite kitchen appliance, combine the chipotle peppers in sauce, lime juice and cilantro.  Process until mixed well and peppers are in very small pieces.

Place the red peppers, beans, and chipotle mixture into the skillet. Let cook for about a minute or 2 just to get warm. Add chicken back in and mix well. Toss in green onions.

Top those lettuce leaves with that yummy mixture and enjoy!

GCC- Steak Pizzaiola

This week's Gutsy Cooks Club challenge was to make Steak Pizzaiola.  It called for a chuck steak and I had no clue what this was.  I also could not find it in our grocery stores, so I went with sirloin.  Other than that, I stayed pretty true to the recipe.  We served ours with a large bowl of rigatoni, but next time I will serve with mashed potatoes.  Overall, I believe this recipe is a keeper. Make sure to head to SweetBites and get the recipe!

Recipe

Getting Gutsy- Baked Chicken with Honey-Whole Grain Mustard Glaze

I am always looking for new ways to challenge myself in the kitchen.  I love to cook and have tried so many different recipes and am always looking for something new.  I stumbled upon The Gutsy Cooks Club and knew I had to try it!

Sweet Monica at Sweet Bites Blog host it and this was our first week.

This week we made Baked Chicken with Honey-Whole Grain Mustard Glaze by Lucinda Scala Quinn.  While this recipe was not that different for me, or that challenging, it did call for chicken thighs.  I have not cooked with them in the past and I will have to say Mr. J and I loved them, but sweet A adored them!  I found a great sale on boneless, skinless chicken thighs and so that is what we used.  While I am sure the skin would be delicious on these, it was not in my weekly budget to splurge (and we try not to eat the skin).  I would cook these again! Not only were they tasty, but super easy as well!

Make sure and jump over to Monica's blog to get the recipe!

From the Little Red Book

The first Christmas that Mr. J and I spent together he bought me this cute little red cookbook journal.

It is used for my favorite recipes and most of the time they come some where other than the internet.  Some are passed down from sweet family members, some from special friends, and some are my random, crazy creations! But, if the recipe makes it to the prized red book, it is for sure a family favorite!  This recipe, I believe, came from a previous co-worker and it has become a family favorite.  I hope y'all enjoy it as much as we do!

Bow-tie Chicken Pasta

• 2 Chicken Breast, cooked, diced or shredded
• 1 box Bow-tie Pasta
• 1 can Rotel, drained
• 1 jar Alfredo Sauce
• 1/2 jar of Basil Pesto (I use the Bertolli brand...just so you know for size reference)
• 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

-Cook your chicken and dice or shred it.  Last night I used diced chicken that I cooked in the skillet.  Before I have used a rotisserie chicken, boiled chicken, you could even use canned chicken if you are into that kind of thing! Which ever way I do it, I always add some of my favorite spices (and those change on a daily basis, but always include italian seasoning and garlic)
-Cook your pasta according to the box, but 2 minutes less.
-Drain pasta.
-Add your Alfredo sauce, pesto, rotel and chicken to the pasta and mix well.
-Place mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
-Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of pasta mixture.
-Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes or until cheese is good and melted.
-Enjoy!

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

I am not a huge slow cooker fan, but there are those days I am so thankful for them!  Tuesdays are extremely busy for us and yesterday was one of those days I was SO thankful for my slow cooker!  I think one of the reasons that I am not a huge fan is because I have such a hard time finding recipes that I love that!  I found a great one and it will for sure be a keeper!  

Chicken Philly Sandwiches

Adapted from: Food&Family Finds

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen Chicken Breast
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Green Bell Peppers, sliced
• 1 Small Onion, sliced
• 1 Package Sliced Mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• McCormick's Steak Seasoning
• Emeril's Original Essence Seasoning 
• Garlic
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
• Sliced American Cheese
• Hoagie Buns

Place 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Place frozen (or fresh) chicken breast on top of butter.  Sprinkle chicken with garlic, essence seasoning, and steak seasoning.  I do not use measurements on this, I just go to town and shake until my hand gets tired. Also, feel free to use any type of seasoning you would like.  I just had these in my cabinet and they turned out great!  Add your onions, mushrooms and green peppers next.  Pour in your chicken broth.  Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  After about 5 1/2 hours take chicken out and shred it.  Place back into slow cooker and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.

Mr. J and I like to toast our hoagie buns before we place the chicken on them.  I just stick them under the broiler for a couple of seconds until they start to brown up.  I also like to use a slotted spoon to get the chicken mixture out to help get rid of some of the juice.  Place your chicken mixture on your hoagie bun, place a slice of mozzarella and a slice of american cheese on top and place under the broiler to melt the cheese.  Place that other half of the hoagie bun on top and enjoy! :)

A Great Week Night Meal

Y'all! I have asked myself many times in the last couple of days, "Why in the world have I not shared this recipe?!". This meal has become such a staple in our weekly menu. We LOVE these chicken tacos! And the best thing, you cook them in the crock pot. I originally saw this recipe being tossed around pinterest, but it wasn't until I saw my sweet friend, Brittany at This Sassy Salmon (follow her! She has the cutest twins, ever!) blog about this awesome recipe, that I tried it. Now, I did make a few changes, but that is what I think is so great about this recipe. You can adapt it to fit your family's taste. Grab some chicken and get cooking. And most of all, enjoy!

Crock pot Chicken Tacos 

• 3 Frozen Chicken Breast (or thawed, just adjust time)
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can chicken broth 
• 1 can rotel 
• 1 package taco seasoning 
• 1 package ranch dressing mix 
• Toppings you enjoy

Place all ingredients in the crock pot, chicken being on the bottom. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until chicken is finished.

Once chicken has cooked, remove chicken breast and shred the chicken. If you have a kitchen aid mixer, or a large mixer with a paddle attachment, throw the chicken in the mixer and it will shred it for you! If not, two forks work great.

Place shredded chicken back in the crock pot for 30 minutes.

Dress your tacos and enjoy! I enjoy sour cream, cheese and avocado on mine. Mr. J loves sour cream, cheese, lettuce and corn salsa on his. Get creative!

Mr. J and I love these with crunchy taco shells, but we are sure they would be good with tortillas as well. Also, we always tend to have left overs and on the second night we have been known to skip the taco shells and eat over rice. It is just as good!

Happy Eats!

Recreating Our Favorites...part 1

Life has been busy! My brother, sister -in-law and sweet niece came in for a visit.  While they were home we celebrated two very special little girls birthdays.  (My niece, Mads, and sweet A!) I can't believe Mads is 4 and A is 1! They don't kid when they say they grow up quickly! It was so great being able to celebrate the girls together!  It was a really special week.

Since they have left, Mr. J and I have been working so hard to "get healthy".  With my love of cooking I am trying to re-create some of our favorite foods into a "healthier" version.  Tonight...Burgers.

Mr. J and I like our food spicy (and so does sweet a!).  These burgers had just the right amount of spice and a whole lot of flavor.  We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Jalapeno, Black Bean and Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground turkey meat
• 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg white
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon taco or southwestern seasoning (or both) 
• Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Drain black beans and rinse.  Seed and dice jalapeno.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Pat out into 6 patties.  Grill around 5 minutes on each side.  Enjoy!

I did place a little bit of guacamole on top of mine and it was fabulous! Mr. J turns green at the thought of guacamole so he passed but still loved the burgers just as much as I did.  We ate them on 80 calorie buns and paired with some broccoli . It was a great meal and we are looking forward to left over tomorrow night! 

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! 

My new love: Quinoa

Tonight while cooking dinner I was thinking I needed to write a new post.   I thought about doing a post on my favorite kitchen gadgets, but then while eating dinner tonight I quickly grabbed my phone to take a quick picture of our meal and knew that was what I had to blog about!  Tonight I cooked chicken and quinoa stew.  I have had quinoa salad once before, but I was not super impressed.  But tonight, the quinoa in this stew was really amazing.  I am now searching for new Quinoa recipes as it is going to become a staple in this house.  I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Chicken and Quinoa Stew

Adapted from: The Sisters Cafe

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 sweet peppers, I used one red and yellow
• 1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces
• 32 oz chicken broth
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes 
• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I used 1/2 cup uncooked and followed the directions on the package)
• 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.
• 2 T Dijon Mustard
• 1 T Hot Sauce
• Kosher Salt and Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  

Saute onion, carrots, peppers, zucchini, squash and garlic until all veggies are softened.  

Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and potatoes.  

Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil.  

Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard and hot sauce.  

Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.  

Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve. 

Enjoy!:) 

2 minute Boo Boo Pie

There is a famous little restaurant, Patti's 1880s Settlement, close to where I grew up.  They are known for two things: pork chops and pies.  My favorite pie there is the Boo Boo pie.  A brownie like pie with coconut.  It is amazing!  I have been making brownies in a mug for some time, but had the bright idea to "spruce" up my recipe by adding a few things and adding coconut!  And the best part is, you cook it in the microwave and can whip this little bad boy up in 2 minutes!

Now, I have sweet friends who do not like coconut, but do not run yet!  Get creative.  Leave out the coconut and add your favorite add-ins, or just eat it brownie style.  I don't think you will regret it!

But I warn you, these are so easy and so good, you may have them every night!

2 minute Boo Boo Pie

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon coconut (or your favorite add-in) 
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons milk or coffee (i use milk)

In a coffee cup (or mug ), stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. 

Stir in the milk, vanilla and melted butter.
Cook for 1 minute (check around 30 though. Different microwaves cook differently.) 

It should be a little gooey when finished. 

Top with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream.

Enjoy! :) 

(Mr J and I share one mug!)

Caution! Highly Addictive!

Reindeer Food...a fancy made up name for what I like to call "White Chocolate Peppermint Chex".  When first seeing this recipe I thought it looked easy and festive for the holidays so I thought, why not?  I wish I would have not made it.  The bucket is almost gone (like only a few pieces of chex left).  I recommend you do not make this if you have an addictive personality.  I promise it may be gone in one setting a couple of days.

Also, I am working on my photography skills.  I know they are on the verge of being horrible right now, but stick with me as I learn!  :)

White Chocolate Peppermint Chex
Adapted from Hooiser Homemade

Ingredients:

-5 Cups Corn Chex

-1 bag White Chocolate Chips, 12 oz

- 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes

Measure out the corn chex.  Place in a large bowl.  

Place white chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and then continue heating for 15 seconds at a time, until all the chips are melted and making sure to stir after each time.

Pour 2/3 of crushed candy canes in the melted chocolate.  Mix well.

Pour chocolate and candy cane mixture over the chex.  Mix well.

Pour chex mix onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper (or on your counter).

Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes on top.

Let set for about 20 minutes.

Gently break and place in air tight container.

Enjoy! :) 

Happy Eatings! :)

Maybe I love soup?

Okay, so maybe I have found a new love...soup? I have another soup recipe. White Chicken Chili. I first had this at Ruby Tuesday like 4 years ago. I really liked it but didn't think much more about it until about a month ago. I decided to try my hand at it so I scrounged the internet trying to find the perfect recipe. I found many recipes that I liked and combined them together. One I liked called for can beans and one called for "real" beans. I decided I liked the idea of "real" beans. The night I went to cook the soup I had remembered it said it took 30-45 minutes to cook. If you know anything about "real" beans, you know they take a lot longer than 30-45 minutes to cook. After a panic call to my mom and 2-3 hours later, we had our white chicken chili and it was great! The recipe below will be the "canned" version. I made this version this week and it is just as good! (and so much quicker!) Also, this makes a large pot. Great for leftovers. Did I just say that?

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Adapted from many yummy recipes

• 3 large chicken breast, butterflied and then cubed
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 32 ounces chicken broth/stock
• 2 cans (7 oz) green chilies
• 3 jalapeno peppers, seeded, cleaned and diced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

In a large saucepan or dutch oven, saute the chicken, onion, jalapeno and garlic in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. (maybe a little longer. test the beans.)

Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and heavy cream.

enjoy! :)

This is great with mexican cornbread! Also, I promise to start thinking about taking pictures of all these great recipes!

The Best Soup Ever...Seriously

I am not a huge soup fan. I mean, I like it, but a lot of times, I don't love it. And as we have previously established, I do not like leftovers. So leftover soup to me is...well...ick. Until I came across this recipe. This soup has changed my view on soup forever. I made this on Wednesday and we were having it for leftovers on Thursday as well. Wednesday night I went to bed excited that we would have the leftover soup the next day. Thursday morning I woke up thinking about the soup. All day I could not wait for Mr J to get home so we could have the soup. So I thought I needed to share this recipe

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

(adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (we love to keep the vampires away!)
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup red wine...must use this! Do not substitute!
• 1 Jar canned tomates (These were from my mother-in-law, but you could totally use chopped or diced canned tomatoes. I would use the larger size can. Also you could use real tomatoes. That is what the orginal recipe called for, but you were to peel, seed and chop. That was too much work! :) )
• 1/2 bag of "match stick" carrots. (You could chop your own, but that is more work!)
• A large dose of Italian Seasoning. (I probably used one to two tablespoons. I didn't measure. Just eye-balled)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 decent size zucchini, sliced
• 1 bag frozen tortellini pasta
• 
  

1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 2 tablespoon of the drippings. (I just reserved all in the pan...oops)
2. Saute onions and garlic in drippings (Seriously, if you do not have the pampered chef garlic press, hit me up and we will get you one ordered. It will forever change your views on fresh garlic!).
3. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes, italian seasoning, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Skim fat from the soup. This is kind of difficult, but you need to do it. Stir in zucchini and carrots. Simmer covered for 30 minutes to an hour. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you thought this was as good as we did! This will be around all winter in this house!

Long Over Due

I have neglected my blog for over a week now! I promised myself I would stay on top of this...but life just happened this week. I did finish my first home improvement project of painting the bathroom. I will post pictures later after we finish the final little touches. Also, sweet baby a turned 2 months this past week! I cannot believe that she is 2 months old. I also cannot believe that I will be going back to work in 2 weeks! With being 2 months old also comes 2 month shots. I hated every minute of the day we took her. It hurt me so bad to know she had no idea of what was coming. She took them like a trooper though! I did ask them to space them out so we have to go back this week to get another round :( . I hate the thought of them having to stick her again, but at the same time I feel better knowing that not all of that medicine is going in her little body all at once.

I know I normally post my menus on Thursdays, but as I said, life just happened this week. And I greatly apologize if anyone actually reads/uses the menu. But...here is this week's (well last week's menu)...

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

(These were amazing and I did make the Cilantro Sauce she suggest on the blog as well)

Source and picture: Brandy's Baking

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplins

Source and picture:BubbleCrumb

Baked Ham and Cheese Sliders

(I have had many different versions of these and these may be my favorite. I did use American cheese though)

Source and picture: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Honey Kissed Chicken Sandwich

(Buy good buns/rolls!)

Source and picture: Life's Ambrosia

Coconut Chicken Strips

(I made a really yummy pina colada sauce to go with! It is below)

Source and picture: Our Best Bites

California Cheeseburger pie

(This is a favorite of Mr. J's! But it is not a favorite for the waistline so it seriously is a once a year recipe. Also, I leave out the pickles. Mr. J hates dill pickles.)

Source and picture: Pillsbury

Pina Colada Sauce

4 oz Pina Colada Mix

3 oz Sour Cream

3 oz Crushed Pineapple (drained)

Mix together and chill until ready to serve! :)

Tasty Thursdays

I have a confession to make about next week. I will not be cooking along with you. I will actually be cooking a week ahead. But this will allow for me to review the recipes before I recommend them to you! Mr J and I have had all but two of these recipes and we would highly recommend them. I hope you enjoy! :)

Island Chicken

Source: Annie's Eats

Chicken Gyros

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

Toasted Ravioli

Source: What's Cookin, Chicago?

Light Spicy Lemon Chicken

Source: Babble

Baked Pesto Chicken

Source: Kayln's Kitchen

Chinese Honey Chicken

Source:Blogchef

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Source: Can You Stay For Dinner

Next Week's Menu

I hope you guys have been enjoying the amazing weather as much as our household has! It has been filled with lots of running and walking! Here is our menu for next week! I hope you find something that sounds yummy to your family!

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pasta

What's Cookin', Chicago

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

Allrecipes.com

Lemon Chicken

Barefoot Contessa

Taco Pasta

The Girl Who Ate Everything

Apple Maple Turkey Burgers

Food Network

Slow Cooker Angel Chicken

Cleverly Inspired

Mongolian Beef

Pink Bites