I’m not sure why I bought this coconut flour, but I’m glad I did. Typically, I pass up on recipes where coconut flour is the only flour used. A lot of people complain coconut flour leaves the goods a bit dry. I can tell you, that did not happen today!
Mixed Berry Coconut Flour Pancakes!
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I know what you are going to say, it has been a long time! I’ve missed you too. Things have been so chaotic! No matter how busy I’ve been though, I keep thinking of all the recipes I want to share with you! I’m totally hooked on these stuffed peppers. I have enjoyed theses so much that I have bought more ingredients for these at back to back shopping trips. I even look forward to leftovers.
I love Panera’s black bean soup. But I have a few problems:
1. The closest Panera is about a half hour drive.
2. One bowl is never enough (where are the next day leftovers??)
3. I have a freezer full of ground beef that I’m trying to incorporate into different types of dishes.
Here is what I came up with.
Just too good!! If that isn’t enough, it’s super easy to make (cheaper too!)
Here is all you’ll need for this dish:
1 pound ground beef
2 cans seasoned black beans
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 cup of beef broth
sliced Jalepeño, diced and to taste (I used 5-6 slices)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp olive oil
shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt optional
1. In a large pot add olive oil and garlic and bring up to medium heat.
2. Once fragrant (don’t let garlic burn), add beef. Crumble and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat and return to pot. Add in diced Jalepeño, chili powder and cumin.
3. For the beans, either mash some of them in the can with fork or use a potato masher and mash some of the beans up in the pot to make the soup thicker.
4. Add in broth and tomatoes.
5. Ladle in a bowl and top with cheese, sour cream or yogurt.
Serve!
Aside from using my potato masher to mash beans, I also use my garlic mincer to mince Jalepeño (doesn’t always work out the best but I can be lazy!).
Do you any kitchen gadgets to make cooking easie in other ways?
I just signed up for a three month program at my gym that will focus on preparing me for a half marathon! Although I think I could do this on my own, I’m really excited to get out there with others who have the same goal. For me it isn’t even about “socializing” just their presence is motivating. It totally brings out the competitor in me. The program starts next month and is going to keep me busy for two nights (and one morning). So that dinners don’t become neglected, I’m going to have to really plan to have good “leftover” meals or crockpot meals. Some people hate leftovers but for me it is all about how much I really liked the dish the first time around. Hint: I really loved this dish the first time around…
Cajun Chicken Pasta! Normally, when pasta and creamy sauces are put together you get one heck of a calorie laden meal. Not with this recipe! A whole 11/2 cups of this pasta comes in at only 328 calories. Not bad! Also, I just love all the veggies packed into it!
I think the chicken is hiding in my pictures but don’t worry, there was just the right amount in each dish.
I followed the suggested recipe, however I added just a pinch of ground red pepper at the end just to make it a little more spicy! It was even a great leftovers meal for the next day which was great for today because my kids had a ton of homework and I needed to help them and not be busy cooking.
So do you have any favorite healthy leftover meals or crockpot meals? I’d love to hear about them!
The recipe for this yummy dish can be found at Skinnytaste.com.
So you didn’t get one of those fancy schmancy home coffee brewers for Christmas? No worries!! Let me introduce you to this little guy…
A milk frother (thanks Auntie M)! I picked this little guy up for $3.99 (I believe) at Ikea! So what can this little guy do exactly? Let me demonstrate it’s magic!
So what does this all mean exactly? Well let me show you!
Beautiful isn’t it?!? I found that lower fat milk seems to get more foamy than the higher fat. Let me know what your findings are! Also, I believe, I may be making another road trip to Ikea so for my hometown buddies, let me know if you want me to grab you one!
And now that you have the coffee shop drink, let’s pair it with a coffee shop sandwich shall we?
This sandwich just happens to take care of that pizza craving too!
I found this sandwich idea Pinterest! I just love banana peppers (I eat them straight out of the jar) so I topped my sandwich with them.
I cook mine open faced in the toaster oven and slap them together after the cheese starts getting melty.
Add a cup of soup and you have a happy lunch!
Original sandwich idea is from Green Lite Bites.
Well the New Year is here. Did you make a resolution? Have you kept it? I’ve really not been much of a resolution person in the past, but between the family being sick, being busy with the holidays, eating too much “comfort food,” I used the New Year to get back into my fitness routines.
These helped too…
This, although it is super beautiful, did not…
The good news is, my gym is pretty close so I can cruise on over there until it’s not so chilly! Also there is always sled riding for some physical activity!
If you play outside, be sure to make this dish for when you come back in. Spicy Chicken Stew!
Yet another Christmas is coming to an end. Almost. We have one more get together this weekend. In my head I feel like things will settle down then, however we have New Years and my dad’s birthday before the festivities will actually be over. Long story short, I have all kinds of recipes to share with you right now!
These Avocado, Cream Cheese and Salsa Puffed Pastries were a hit! Next time I think I’ll let them cook a little longer, but I was so worried they would burn and I didn’t want to the the chance. I’m also interested in how they would be if you used wonton or egg roll wrappers in lieu of the puff pastry. If you try that out, let me know how they turn out.
I really liked how quickly these came together! I’ll be honest I just spooned the avocado, cream cheese and salsa onto each square without measuring. Whatever looked good seemed to work out just fine. The only thing I didn’t like was that my salsa was naturally a little too wet and leaked from a few of the pastries. Next time I think I’ll use my little mesh strainer or even a fork to add the salsa so it’s a little drier.
Aside from not measuring, I followed the original recipe pretty closely and it can be found here at Averie Cooks.
So if you celebrate Christmas, I hoped you enjoyed it! Here are a few picture of my favorite things.
The weather was terrible and we had to get a tree so this is our $20.00 purchase from Tractor Supply! Not bad huh? My kids decorated our cookies, clearly they love sprinkles. Also our Elf, George was a hit and will be missed very much.
Although I got loads of cool gifts, I’m happy to share that I got this…
Also I’m hoping that this gift will help with all the holiday indulging!
Do you have one of these gadgets? I haven’t used my Nike band yet but I’m hoping it is as neat as it looks!!
Normally, I’m a sweet potato kinda gal. Either making my own or buying some of those fantastic Alexia Sweet Potato Fries. Don’t even get me started on their Waffle Cut Sweet Potato fries! But when I saw this pin on Pinterest I knew I had to tries these fries out!!
So I did…and they were great! Should I feel guilty? All that melty cheese and crispy bacon. 5% of me says yes but the rest screams no! Comparing the quality of the ingredients I used and the control of portion size, I’m gonna let the one slide.
Speaking of letting things slide, where have I been?? I was a bit surprised with myself when I realized I haven’t posted a thing since November! Yipes! I think about my blog all the time and things I want to post so…well I can’t think of a good reason other than I’ve been busy with enjoying my family and my work. Right now, I’m ok with that.
I have been thinking though, the New Year is approaching, are you going to have a resolution? Normally, I really don’t but this year I actually believe I do! Part of it is to spend more quality time with my blog (even if that is five minutes more 😉 ). The other I will share at the start of the New Year!
Until then, try out these fries! I think they would actually be very nice with sweet potatoes too!
Original recipe can be found at Baked Bree or by clicking here. Yes, I know her fries look way pretty!
If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed that oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast picks!
It’s hearty, sticks to your ribs, and fun to dress up. Nuts, nut butters, fruit, dried fruit, Biscoff, chocolate chips, they have all visited my bowl of oats at one time or another. But recently, my mad skills of oatmeal creation got a big ol’ slap in the face.
The can be made bigger, creamier and packed with protein.
So how was your Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty fantastic and I think a new tradition was born.
Gobble, gobble! I got second place in my age group in the Thanksgiving 5k my town had! I actually felt pretty crappy during my run so I’m gunning for 1st next year! But really, what a great way to start the day before eating (too much) and laying around playing Words With Friends, stalking blogs I adore, and watching football!!
Today, I’m so proud of the recipe I have to share with you! With the holidays coming, I think this is a fantastic dish for a small get together! This dish will look like you spent hours in the kitchen, but with the short cuts I made, you’ll have a wonderful dish in no time!
Sometimes I’m just too busy, or too lazy to follow directions. So when I saw this chicken recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to find a way to make something like it! So I did…
This chicken had amazing flavor! The puréed cauliflower complemented it well. Yes, that is cauliflower and not potatoes. This is a pretty healthy dish!
...so I did it myself 