Recipe: Sweet Asian Grilled Chicken

We have been in such a funk lately with grilled chicken. Every week we pick up a few of the Mccormick Spice packs and use that as our marinade. And, they're delicious and all, but I'm tired of eating the same thing over and over again.

Sunday, when Mike said we were going to have grilled chicken for dinner....again...I went online to see if I could find anything interesting, and that we didn't have to go to the store for. Luckily, as soon as I went to Pinterest and typed in "grilled chicken" this was the second thing to pop up!

P.S. Mike says..."That's not burnt, it's caramelized."

Sweet Asian Grilled Chicken

2 lbs. chicken

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix marinade ingredients together. Pour into ziploc baggie with chicken. Refrigerate and let sit at least 4 hours. Preheat grill to medium or high heat. Cook chicken about 5 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

Also linking up for: Little Friday || Treat Yo' Self Thursday || Thoughts for Thursday  || Create It Thursday || Artsy Fartsy Link Party || Creative Ways Link Party || Lovely Little Link Party || Full Plate Thursday || Thursday Favorite Things || Friday's Unfolded || Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday || Tasty Tuesday's || Melt in Your Mouth Monday ||

Recipes: Easy Summer Favorites

This warm weather is divine!!! It's grilling season and all things vegetable and delicious are popping up everywhere!! So, I figured I would post some of my favorite summer recipes!! These are all easy and light, perfect for the summertime.

Yes, yes, of course some of them are my own shameless plugs, but it's because they are delicious and easy and I love them. Thanks!!

Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos

4-Ingredient Crockpot Pulled Pork

Cheesy Broccoli Bacon Quiche

Kickin' Grilled Shrimp

Open-faced Veggie Enchilada Quesadillas

(I throw these on the grill rather than in the oven.)

Grilled White Pizza with Bacon and Basil

Grilled Marinated Steak Kabobs

The Best Turkey Burger Recipe

Also linking up for: Little Friday || Treat Yo' Self Thursday || Thoughts for Thursday  || Create It Thursday || Artsy Fartsy Link Party || Creative Ways Link Party || Lovely Little Link Party || Full Plate Thursday || Thursday Favorite Things || Friday's Unfolded || Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday || Tasty Tuesday's

Recipe: 4 Ingredient Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

This was PHENOMENAL! Like, one of those dishes that made me keep turning to Mike and saying, "This is good isn't it? I think it's really good." over and over and over again. lol.

The original recipe was created by Six Sisters Stuff, but I changed it just a little bit based off of some reviews and comments. Do you look at those when you're trying out a new recipe or is it just me? I just figure if other people tried it out and commented that they like it it really is good. haha. And I usually leave comments on the stuff I try out, too.

If you like Lloyd's BBQ pulled pork you will love this. And, it's so super simple. Only 4 ingredients, not including the hamburger buns if you eat it that way, and it's a crockpot meal. Yup....you read that correctly. 4 ingredients. crockpot. done. delicious. Booyah!

You know what I can't wait for? Our next BBQ now that the weather is getting nice. Or even my next time hosting book club. Why? Because this will be my contribution. How easy?? No stress, and inexpensive.

So are you ready for the recipe? Be prepared to have your mind blown! And do you see all that juicy goodness?? Yesir. Get in my bellay!!

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

 3 lbs. boneless pork roast

1 can root beer

18 oz of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy)

1 tbsp.-ish brown sugar

Put roast in crockpot. Pour root beer over roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Drain root beer from crockpot and shred pork. Mix in brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Put back in crockpot and set to keep warm until serving. Enjoy!

Also linking up for: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday || Wined Down Wednesday || Little Friday || Treat Yo' Self Thursday || Thoughts for Thursday  || Create It Thursday || Artsy Fartsy Link Party || Creative Ways Link Party || Lovely Little Link Party || Tipsy Tuesday's || Full Plate Thursday || Thursday Favorite Things || Friday's Unfolded ||

Recipe: Tie Dye Birthday Cake!!

My Mikey turned 31 on Friday!!! What an old little Goober. Well..if you don't consider that he's only 5 months older than me. :)

We had a few of his friends over on Friday night and to celebrate I made him a funky little cake. Luckily he worked on Thursday night so I got everything ready then and surprised him with it Friday morning. He asked about what kind of cake it was and all I said was that it was a white cake. No lie there!! He didn't need to know that I had spend an hour hours slaving over a hot stove in order to get this done for him. OK, so it was like super easy and took me no time at all....but it looked like I did. I was so happy with how it turned out and decided I would share this recipe with all you lovelies out there today!!

I originally saw this idea on Facebook, but ended up youtubing a few different videos to make sure I did it right. I'm so excited with how it turned out. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

Tie Dye Birthday Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 box white cake mix

• 3 eggs

• 1/4 cup oil

• 1 cup water

• food coloring in assorted colors

• non-stick spray

Preheat oven to 350º and spray cake pans with non-stick spray. Prepare cake mix according to box directions. Separate equally into bowls for however many colors you want. 

Add desired amount of food coloring in order to achieve the color you would like. Pour each color into ziplock baggie and lock squeezing out any excess air.

Cut small hole in corner of baggie and start to drizzle one color at a time into cake pan. Layer colors on top of each other and repeat until all cake mix has been drizzled into pan. Give cake pans a few short drops onto counter or shake softly to get out all air bubbles

Bake according to package instructions or until toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle. Let cool. Frost with desired frosting and VOILA!! Enjoy!!

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday

Recipe: Meat Lover's Flatbread

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Mike and I found these awesome Naan flatbreads at our local grocery store. We usually use the ones you find by the pre-made pizza crusts but these were garlic flavored and looked sooo good so we couldn't pass them up.

We have been doing a ton of flatbreads lately. We've had a bunch of buffalo chicken ones and then a cheesesteak one and also a southwestern one with guac and corn and all that goodness. Our favorite pizza is meat lover's pizza so one night we decided to try out a meat lover's flatbread and it was absolutely amazing!! So...why not post it?!?!

Meat Lover's Flatbread

Ingredients:

Naan Flatbread

1/2 lb. hot italian sausage

pepperoni

3-5 ham slices or 1/2 ham steak

1/2 green pepper, sliced thin
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 jar pizza sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Put pizza stone in oven and preheat to 425º. Spread pizza sauce over Naan flatbread. Add desired meats. I used the ones above. Add green peppers and onions. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 15 minutes or until pizza is crispy. If you do not have a pizza stone, just preheat a cookie sheet for a few minutes and put flatbread on that.

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday

Recipe: Copycat Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Last week while Mike was away at a conference I started getting really jealous about him eating out all the time. If I had enough money and I thought I could restrain from always getting the most unhealthy thing on the menu, I would eat out for every meal. So...when Mike eats out and I don't I hate it!!

I sat around for a while debating making the 20 minutes into town just to pick up some sushi. Then debated heading the 25 minutes in the other direction to get Chipotle. But truthfully, I really didn't feel like making either drive. So I sat and wallowed in my despair until I had an idea! I'll make my own Chipotle bowl!! So I searched through Pinterest and within minutes I was ready. I had planned on making a taco salad for dinner so I had most of the ingredients anyway, but I did have to head 3 minutes to our local grocery store for the second time that day in order to get the rest.

And, I'm not joking when I say...it tasted sooo much like a Chipotle bowl. Needless to say, it fulfilled my craving. The recipe is actually a bunch of different recipes put together based on what you like from the Chipotle menu, but this is how I make mine.

Copycat Chipotle Bowl

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 1 package white or brown boil in a bag rice

• 1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

•1 tbsp. lime juice

• salt and pepper

Cook rice according to package. Add cilantro, lime, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Pico de gallo

• 6 vine ripe tomatoes

•1/2 red onion, chopped

• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 2 jalapeños, chopped

• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

• salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well. Season to taste.

the rest

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken, diced

• 1 packet reduced sodium taco seasoning

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 green pepper, sliced

1/4 red onion, sliced
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can corn, drained

shredded cheese

sour cream

In small saute pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and peppers and onions. Saute until translucent. (like Chipotle's fajita) In large saute pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil and chicken. Cook over medium high heat until cooked through. prepare with taco seasoning according to taco packet directions. If the chicken creates a lot of liquid, you might want to drain it before adding taco seasoning. 

To make the bowl: Layer rice, fajita, chicken, corn, black beans, pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream. Enjoy!

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday

Recipe: {Skinnier} Quesadillas w/ ground turkey

Yup, you read that right. We used ground turkey. NO! Don't exit out! I promise you won't miss the ground beef. You truthfully can't even tell the different. I know, I know....I sound like eeeverybody else. But I'm serious. I wouldn't lie to you. I bet you can trick your men!!

I put this recipe into My Fitness Pal and it told me that each serving is 746 calories. And, I'd like to tell you that odds are you won't be able to eat a full one. Neither Mike nor I could finish ours. I ate half of mine and he could only finish 3/4 of his.

The best part about this recipe, besides the fact that it's a skinnier version, is that it's perfect for the week night. It takes no time at all and you can't go wrong with quesadillas. It's everyone's favorite.

{Skinnier} Quesadillas w/ ground turkey

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey

• 1 packet reduced sodium taco seasoning

water (for seasoning)

• 1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced

• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 cup (reduced fat) cheddar cheese, shredded

4 large flour tortillas

Brown ground turkey in a skillet and prepare with taco seasoning according to packet. While turkey is browning, chop up peppers, onions, and cilantro. After turkey is browned and prepared with the taco seasoning, lay out tortilla and fill with chopped ingredients and cheese. Place on griddle or panini press. Place 2nd tortilla on top and, if using griddle, place another skillet or heavy pan on top to press it down. When bottom tortilla is crispy, carefully flip and cook again, until bottom tortilla is crispy. Slice into quarters and enjoy!

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday

Recipe: The Perfect Turkey Burger

It took Mike and I a long time to try out turkey burgers. We actually started with a chicken burger and, I'll be honest, that was just plain nasty....so we were a little skeptical. But, thanks to Anne Burrell and a few other recipes, we were able to put together a concoction that turned out to be delicious!

The Perfect Turkey Burger 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground turkey

• 1/4 large red onion

• 2 tbsp minced garlic

• 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 2 slices pepper jack cheese
• salt and pepper

Saute onions and garlic. Mix all ingredients together and form patties. Grill until just before desired firmness. Add cheese and cook just long enough to melt. Garnish with whatever you like. We like red onion, lettuce, and some raspberry chipotle mayo (raspberry chipotle sauce mixed with mayo and a quick shot of sriracha.

Enjoy!!

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday

Recipe: Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

     While Mike was gone last week I decided to try out this recipe. He's not big on casseroles, and truthfully neither am I, but this one wasn't bad. If you're similar to us and would rather have something a little less one note, I still wouldn't shy away from this. Just make another side, probably something crunchy would be best. But this casserole was really good so you should definitely try it.

     And, it's a Skinny Mom recipe, so it's actually not bad for you. A cup of this without the topping is only 305 calories. The original recipe called for saltines as the topping but I used a little something different to add some more flavor. And let me tell you...it was divine!! It is super cheesy and creamy. I have to say I used the large shredded cheese, so that might have something to do with how cheesy it was, but it was really good!!

Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breast, diced

• 14 oz. frozen broccoli

•10.75 oz. can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup

• 2 tbsp light mayo

• 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

• 1/2 cup crumbled White Cheddar Cheez-Its

• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350º and prepare a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and cook salt and peppered chicken over medium high heat until there is no pink in the center. In a large bowl mix soup, mayo, frozen broccoli, and shredded cheese. Add chicken to bowl and mix well. Pour mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with Cheez-Its. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

What's your favorite skinny recipe?

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday || Handmade Tuesday's || Two Cup Tuesday

Recipe: Skinnier Stovetop Mac and Cheese

I think I mentioned Mike and I have been really trying to eat a little healthier. We both meal prep out lunches and I meal prep breakfast, too, but when it comes to dinner we try to eat something that we're not going to get to tired of. So, thanks to Skinnytaste and Skinny Mom, I've found a lot of recipes out there that let us stay healthy, but still indulge a little.

This was a recipe I found on Skinny Mom. I did change some things up just a little, but I was super suprised at how delicious this Stovetop Mac and Cheese came out. Truthfully, it's just as good as he Baked Mac and Cheese I typically make for holiday dinners.

The best part, it's only like 360 calories for a whole cup and a half of this stuff. I know that might sound like a lot, but it's also using reduced fat and reduced sodium products, so you're looking at lightening up in that department, too.

Skinnier Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

12 oz whole wheat pasta, uncooked

1.5 tbsp light butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup skim milk

1 cup reduced fat, shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Melt butter in a large skillet. Whisk in flour. Add onion and cook until translucent, continuing to whisk. Whisk in chicken broth and milk. Raise temperature to medium high and continue to whisk. Bring sauce to a boil. Once sauce thickens (about 10-12 minutes) add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika and mix well. Remove from heat. Mix in cheese and continue to stir until cheese is melted. Add pasta and stir well. Enjoy!

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop || Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday

Recipe: Skinny Crockpot Pulled Pork

This is the recipe I was tell you about. It was really good and super easy, not to mention you use a crockpot so there is practically no effort. I did this, while running late mind you, the morning of and it took me maybe 5 minutes to get everything together. Then you set it and forget it and voila! Yumminess!!

And.....it's a skinny recipe!! So...who can beat that?

Skinny Crockpot Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs. pork lion roast with fat trimmed

2 medium onions sliced thin

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1 cup reduced sugar BBQ sauce

lettuce of your choice

for the rub:

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. chili powder

1 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Add onion to crockpot and cover with chicken broth. Mix together rub ingredients and pat pork roast down with paper towels to make sure it is dry. Generously rub spice mixture all over pork roast. Place pork roast on top of onions, cover, and set crockpot to low for 8-10 hours.

Pull pork out of crockpot and shred. Separate onions from juices by straining contents of the crockpot into a bowl. Add onions back to the crockpot with the shredded pork. Add BBQ sauce to the crockpot and mix. If pork needs to be moistened, use reserved liquids to moisten before eating. I added about 1/4 of a cup if that.

Linking up: Tuesday's Recipe Swap || Delicious Dish Tuesday || Tuesday's Table || Turn it up Tuesday || Tutorial Tuesday || Let's Be Friends Blog Hop

Recipe: Homemade Granola Bars

This weekend Mike and I decided to try out making our own granola bars. We found a recipe that we thought was a skinny version, but it turns out each granola bar is about 280 calories. So...not so skinny. But, good none the less. And I ended up cutting half of the bars in half because they were quite large anyway. So now we're down to 140 calories each and very filling. Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup extra crunchy peanut butter

• 2/3 cup honey

• 2.5 cups old fashion oats

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1/2 cup craisins

Preheat oven to 350º and line a 13x9 baking dish with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick spray. Melt peanut butter and honey in saucepan over low heat until melted. In a large mixing bowl mix oats, flour, raisins, craisins, and cinnamon.  Pour in peanut butter mixture and applesauce. Mix together. Spread granola mix evenly into baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into individual bars.

* This made 7 large bars and 10 small sized bars.

Linking up for:

Tuesday's Recipe Swap | Delicious Dish Tuesday | Tuesday's Table | Turn it up Tuesday | Tutorial Tuesday

Recipe: Crockpot Sweet Bourbon Glazed Kielbasa

Don't forget!!! THURSTY THURSDAY is back this week!! Hope you can stop by and party with us!!

On Christmas Eve my husband's family always gets together for apps and dinner. This year we decided to cut back on the number of appetizers we usually prepare because we always end up not really wanting to eat dinner by the time we're done snacking.

We kept it to a minimum but added in a few new appetizers to keep it fresh. Making these Sweet Bourbon Kielbasa bites was literally a last minute decision and boy am I happy we ended up going with it. It was so easy and these were super delicious and a huge hit!

It's only 4 ingredients and a crockpot meal so.....can't get much better than that! Unfortunately, they were so good we ate them all up before I could get a good picture....so use your imagination with this one...

Sweet Bourbon Glazed Kielbasa

2 shots bourbon, or to taste

1 cup pepper jelly

1 polska kielbasa, sliced

1/2 cup syrup

Put all ingredients together in crockpot. Let cook on low heat for about 4 hours. If you have a "Keep Warm" setting reduce heat and let sit about 30 minutes to let glaze set. Enjoy!!

See, I told you it was the easiest appetizer you will ever do!! And they are delicious!! We added a little more bourbon but it's totally up to your tastebuds. 

      

Christmas is in the Air: A Foodie's Christmas

First off, don't forget to join us tomorrow for Thursty Thursday!! I have a mean cocktail that will leave you cold in the heart! lol. Confused?? Don't forget to stop by!!

This week on the Christmas is in the Air linkup the theme is A Foodie's Christmas. We usually get stuck bringing the same thing, either macaroni and cheese or corn pudding, every year. I have to admit I have tried a few recipes throughout the years and let's just say they were less than successful.

This year we are doing Christmas Eve with Mike's family at our house. Christmas Eve is usually an entire day dedicated to appetizers and then we try to stuff in dinner and dessert at the end of the night. But only because that's what you're supposed to do.

I've been search around Pinterest for some new apps I can make this year. Hopefully they turn out great and I can add them into my growing list of go to recipes. :)

What are you favorite Christmas appetizers?!?

Head on over and linkup for Christmas is in the Air!!

Recipe: Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

This past weekend we had our annual Framily Christmas. This is the 3rd time we have done it and we get together with all of Mike's childhood friends and Eat, Drink, and Be Merry. Everyone brings a dish and we provide the ham. Really, it's just an excuse to get together and have a meal.

My friend Lenny is notorious for bringing the only thing he can make.....Frito Pie....and it's not exactly the best compliment to ham, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, and all the norms for holiday meals. So, this year Mike told him to come over early and took him to the store to get everything I needed to make Bread Pudding. Then we agreed that would be his contribution. lol.

I have to tell you this is THE EASIEST recipe for Bread Pudding you will ever come across. And...it's so delicious. I made it one year for Mike's birthday and ever since he has requested it for every time we need a special dessert. The best part is that you can make it ahead of time and then just bring your muffin tins or ramekins and prepare it there if you have to travel. And it will literally take you 5 minutes to prepare. I would recommend making the sauce on the spot, but you could probably prepare that ahead of time and heat it up later if you wanted to.

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

for the pudding

• 1 loaf Pepperidge Farm cinnamon raisin bread

• 1 1/3 cups milk

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

for the sauce

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1 tbsp flour

• 1 pinch ground cinnamon

• 1 egg

• 2 tbsp butter, melted

• 1 1/4 cups milk 

• pinch of salt

• tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375º and spray muffin tins or ramekins with non stick spray. In a LARGE bowl, mix together milk, sugar, and eggs. Slice bread into cubes and add to egg mixture. Fold through to coat all of the bread. Put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Scoop into muffin tins or ramekins. Bake for about 30 minutes.

While bread pudding is baking. Add all sauce ingredients to a saucepan. Mix together and heat over medium heat whisking constantly until the sauce thickens. Pour over bread pudding. Enjoy!!

Recipe: Inside Out Stuffed Pepper Casserole

So last Friday on the way home from the gym.................yes, the gym y'all!! Trying to get back on that grind after last week...............Mike and I were trying to get straight on what we needed to make Chicken Corn Chowder for dinner. This week has been super insane and truth be told I really didn't feel like putting the effort into making soup. Luckily we had everything we needed to make stuffed peppers in the crockpot, however, unfortunately it was 3:30 in the afternoon. But Mike, being the amazing person that he is, remembered this meal from a few years back where we made a stuffed pepper casserole.

This is probably one of the easiest things I have ever made and you should have most of the ingredients in your house already. If you like stuffed peppers you will love this dish and I totally recommend you trying it.

Inside Out Stuffed Pepper Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground beef

2 cups cooked white rice

1 jar spaghetti sauce

2 peppers, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1.5 cups shredded cheese of choice

salt and pepper to taste

sriracha to liking

DIRECTIONS:

 Preheat oven to 350º. Brown beef in a skillet with peppers and garlic. Add salt and pepper and any other spices you typically brown beed with. Drain grease from pan. Add in spaghetti sauce, rice, sriracha, and about half of the cheese and mix together. Pour into casserole dish and sprinkle cheese on the top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until heated through.

Recipe: Simple Zucchini Bread

This weekend it was super cold and windy. Sunday the wind was roaring outside when I woke up and all I could think about was warm soup and something  tasty. So, I made my Crockpot Ham and Potato Soup and found an easy recipe for zucchini bread to have for breakfast for the week.

I love zucchini bread but always thought there was so much to it. If this is how easy zucchini bread is, I'll be making it a lot more. I wanted to make some mini muffins but was a little nervous about if it would turn out right, so, if anyone has a good, easy, cheap recipe for zucchini muffins let me know.

The recipe I used came from here and it suggested putting cream cheese on your zucchini bread. I've never heard of that before but I'm pretty sure it's genius. I love cream cheese and I love zucchini bread, so....but anywho...here's the recipe!!

Simple Zucchini Bread

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound zucchini 

2 cups flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup plain yogurt (not fat-free)

1 tablespoon sour cream

6 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375º and spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Finely shred the zucchini including the peel and wring out excess liquid in a dishtowel. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and allspice. In a separate small mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, yogurt, sour cream, and melted butter.

Gently fold in zucchini and yogurt mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Should be approximately 40-50 minutes depending on your oven.

Recipe: Copycat Chick -Fil-A Chicken Nuggets

This is kind of a repost. A while ago I posted a link to my other blog post which had this recipe, but I didn't actually post it on here so I figured I would repost!!

I am in love with Chick-Fil-A. The closest one, however, is up the highway for 15 minutes so we tend to stick to the one delivery place in our town. haha. So, when I found this recipe for copycat Chick-Fil-A nuggets I knew I had to try it. Not to mention it was a SKINNY RECIPE!!

The only problem was it called for pickle juice and I had just thrown away my last jar. However, finishing off a jar of pickles is never a problem for me so the next time we headed to the store I was sure to pick up a jar! (Always save the juice!! If you don't want the copycat chicken nuggets, pickle juice is always good for pickle shots!! pickle shots = pickle juice + vodka)

While I was preparing the nuggets, super easy by the way, Mike looked up the recipe for copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce and we tried that out, too!! Yes, I had mac-and-cheese. I have been craving it, but I didn't feel guilty at all. Especially because one serving of these nuggets (4) is only 149 calories!! For full nutritional info see the original recipe at Skinny Mom.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup pickle juice

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp dried basil

coconut oil (really any oil)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut chicken breast into large nugget size pieces and marinate in the pickle juice for 30-60 minutes. The chicken will shrink just a little when cooking.

Put oil in skillet and heat. The temp should be about 350º. While that is heating up, mix wet ingredients together in a bowl. Then, mix dry ingredients into a separate bowl. 

Place chicken into the wet ingredients. Dip each piece into the dry ingredients and place in the skillet. Cook on each side about 3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. 

Remove chicken from oil and let dry on a paper towel covered plate. Serve and enjoy!!

Ooops and here's the link to the copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce!!

Recipe Repost: Tasty Halloween Treats!

Last year I posted about my Halloween treats that I made for my book club. The ladies loved them so I figured I would repost to give you guys some ideas in case you were having a Halloween party this year!! I mean...since it does fall on a Friday, why wouldn't you?!?!

In case you can't tell, Halloween is my favorite holiday!! I love to have get togethers around Halloween because it gives me an excuse to make some of this awesome stuff!!

Here is a list of my favorites from last year! Everything was super easy to make and if you click on the link it will take you right to the recipe!

Brain Dip

Pumpkin Puke

Hairy Spiders

Mummy Toes

Devil's Eyeballs

The Dragon's Lair

I hope you enjoy!! Be sure to post pics if you make any of these and tag me so I can see it!!

 [Instagram: @crooksy532] [Twitter: @leggs532] 

And although I won't be here to link up, if someone would like to add my post to these links that would be awesome!! Otherwise I'm there in spirit!