Jay and I are attempting a Whole30(ish)/paleo/just say no to bread and sugar life (in exchange for a life that included a lot of ice cream). We started the day after Christmas so we could be ahead of all y’all with your resolutions. 😉 I’m an admitted salad non-enthusiast (except possibly as a vehicle for…
Make Ahead
Nutty Coconut Granola (and a Granola Master Plan).
Snackable, giftable, and of course, breakfastable…I love opening my pantry and seeing a container of homemade granola inside! I’ve been using this granola recipe since my friend Rach first made it when we were roommates. It’s super easy to make, and you can use whatever add-ins you like. This version has a couple different kinds…
Two-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse Truffle Cups.
For a dessert that’s only two ingredients, I sure had a hard time naming this one. An intensely chocolatey concoction of coconut milk + deep dark chocolate, chocolate mousse truffle cups are mousse-ish, but not fluffy, and truffle-like, but you can eat it with a spoon. I don’t really care what you call it, but…
Chewy Chocolate Peanut Butter Flax Granola Bars.
These chocolate peanut butter flax granola bars bring me great joy. They taste a lot like a candy bar, but they’re full of healthy stuff (oats! flax! nuts!) and aren’t nearly as indulgent as that blanket of chocolate makes them look. They’re chewy, peanut buttery, sweet and salty, and I keep running out of the ingredients…
Balsamic Chicken in the Crockpot (or Instant Pot).
**This post is brought to you by my sister, Laurie…with occasional interjections by me, so I can brag about my Instant Pot.** Laurie: I’ve made this balsamic chicken several times now and it’s not a fluke. We really like it! That’s basically all the reason I need to add it to our regular rotation. But there…
Six Weeks to a Stocked Freezer.
Are you into freezer meals? Maybe you’ve seen that pin on Pinterest about how to make 30 meals in 30 minutes for $30 (or something only slightly less crazy sounding)? This is not that post – but I do think freezer meals are wonderful, delicious presents you give your future self. Future Self, you seem stressed….
Five Minute Basil Pesto.
My basil plant is still alive! I haven’t been doing much cooking (because baby snuggles), so I needed to harvest and use a bunch of basil. Pesto for the no-cook, five-ingredient, five-minute win!
Blueberry Cheesecake Bars.
Blueberry cheesecake bars are layer upon layer of happiness – buttery graham cracker crust, a layer of cheesecake that’s thin enough to let the other flavors shine but rich enough not to get lost, sweet-tart blueberry pie filling, and fluffy whipped cream. This recipe is from my mom’s mom, so I think these bars could…
Bacon in the Oven.
When I was in college, I ate a lot of things that I thought were amazing that I can’t eat today, because gross. On this list: chicken fettuccine alfredo from a box (every.thing was included, people), a “milkshake” that involved fat-free, sugar-free chocolate pudding mix, skim milk, and a lot of ice cubes, and turkey bacon…
Citrus Kale Salad.
This is the first salad recipe I’ve ever posted, and there’s a reason for that: I’m the sad, sad queen of letting bags of leafy greens turn to slime in my fridge, because salads don’t excite me enough to make the effort to, you know, put them in a bowl. Until now. I’m not exaggerating when I…
Shepherd’s Pie.
This week, to help you celebrate two important holidays (that would be today, 3.14, aka Pi Day, and St. Patrick’s day), I bring you shepherd’s pie! This version has a saucy ground beef mixture full of carrots, peas, and corn and is topped with a layer of fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes.
Pot Roast.
The summer after I graduated from college, I lived at home and taught at my church’s day camp in the mornings and worked at a gym doing personal training in the evenings (have I even told you that was my pre-kid job?!). I had a really interesting variety of clients (words that do not begin to…
Veggie-Packed Baked Burritos (for the freezer).
I’m just going to say it: I love a chimichanga in a painful, star-crossed-lovers kind of way. I know in my head that stuffing a big tortilla with stuff cheese and deep-frying it isn’t, y’know, exactly sensible, in a caring-about-your-health kind of way, but in a crispy, cheesy, delicious way – in my heart, in other…
Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup (with crunchy baked tortilla strips).
I’ve been wanting to add some more crockpot recipes to my repertoire…and according to the survey, that would help a lot of you, too! (Thank you so much for your feedback! If you haven’t responded yet, it would be a huge help!) To be honest, I tend to feel a little uninspired in my crockpotting….
Homemade Pizza Part 3 – Homemade FROZEN Pizza.
Being able to make pizza dough at home (and pile on glorious amounts of whatever toppings you want) doesn’t necessarily diminish a person’s need for takeout and frozen pizzas. (Or…delivery. Delivery is, like, the unicorn of pizza options.) Because sometimes you don’t have the time…or the energy…or the relevant ingredients. Your people need dinner stat! You’re going out…
Paleo Granola.
Our new neighborhood has a pool, and it’s really fun to be able to walk there with the girls! It only takes a few minutes, but somehow on the way home everyone suddenly realizes they’re comPLETELY starving and can’t possibly obey basic safety rules/sit in the stroller/survive. So pool snacks have become a must for…
Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.
I love to bake, but lack the self-control to have homemade sweets around on a regular basis. (Oh, I’m in the kitchen, it must be time for a snack to hack off another piece of this cake/snitch another cookie/try not to let the kids see that I’m chewing something….) That’s why I’m so into zucchini snack…
Crusty No-Knead Bread (with salty honey butter).
I can’t even count how many times I’ve made this no-knead bread…because it’s that easy. Four ingredients (if we’re even counting water as an ingredient), one bowl, no kneading – and the end result is piping hot, crusty-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside bread that also happens to be beautiful. And then you slather it with honey butter with a…
Crockpot BBQ Beef.
I just love it when dinner cooks itself!! This is the best, best kind of crockpot meal – absolutely minimal prep, and at the end you have a pot of saucy, tender shredded bbq beef that makes a deliciously messy sandwich (or the perfect topping to a baked potato or rice – anything that will soak up…
Whole Wheat Banana Bran Muffins.
In my mind, there are two categories for muffins: fun, special occasion, at-what-point-do-we-call-it-a-cupcake muffins, and everyday, virtuous muffins. Like I mentioned in this post about cinnamon banana muffins (which are deliciously in the first category), category 2 muffins need to be all or mostly whole grain and low in added sugar (no more than a teaspoon or two…
Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini.
I love a good baked pasta! This chicken tetrazzini is a big, comforting dish of creamy noodles, lots of shredded chicken, and a crispy-salty parmesan cheese topping. And even though it doesn’t have cream-of-anything soup, it still comes together quickly and is customizable to your tastes! It also makes a great freezer meal (see the recipe notes…
Baked Sweet Potatoes.
It feels a little silly to post a “recipe” for baked sweet potatoes. Like – poke some holes and stick ’em in the oven pretty much sums up the whole process. But if you’ve ever had the discouraging experience of baking potatoes for a dang long time only to discover that they’re still hard as rocks when…
Breakfast Cookies.
I’ve been on a quest to make the perfect homemade granola bar for years. I’ve tried lots of recipes and I’ve also tried to create my own recipe from scratch. Baked, unbaked, crunchy, chewy…they’ve certainly all been edible, and some have been good enough to make a second time, but I haven’t found The One. I…
Nana’s Spaghetti Sauce.
Spaghetti was one of my favorite meals when I was a kid. I remember being so excited for dinner when there was a big pot of this meaty tomato sauce sputtering and bubbling on the stove. And you know how there are things that your family does that you don’t know are super weird until…
