As soon as you pack up the Christmas decorations the candy canes become out of season treats. However, peppermint never goes out of season, so I crush my candy canes and use them to add peppermint flavor to candies and treats. Peppermint Divinity makes a delicious hostess gift if you attend any New Year's Eve parties. It is also a lovely Valentine's Day … [Read more...]
Pork Roast with Pumpkin Pie Spiced Sweet Potatoes
I discovered long ago that I could get my kids to eat any orange vegetable if I season it with pumpkin pie spices. WINNING! I decided to take that idea and kick it up a notch and apply it to Sunday Dinner. This is an easy one-pot dinner. It is also quite frugal for a fancy Sunday dinner. Pork roasts go on sale for as little as $1.49/lb. in my area, and sweet … [Read more...]
Corn Chicken Chili
Here's another warm and cozy chili for you to enjoy this winter. A spin on my Chicken Posole. Enjoy! Corn Chicken Chili The ultimate comfort food for those chilly evenings! 1 Tbsp olive oil1 small onion, finely chopped, or about 1 cup chopped onion2 garlic cloves, crushed1 can diced tomatoes2 cups chicken broth2 cups shredded chicken3-4 cups frozen whole … [Read more...]
Lemon Pepper Quinoa with Chicken
Our family loves quinoa. Including Tyler (who once tried to lick his bowl clean...the pictures don't lie!) I made this a few weeks ago, during one of those warm spells we had in early November. I was going to just serve a "3-part" meal with some grilled lemon chicken, a side of quinoa and broccoli. I was cutting up chicken pieces for little mouths, it occurred to me that I … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Spicy Sausage and Peppers
This recipe is part of the 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150 meal plan. I'm often asked about my "5 minute meals". Usually by people who know someone who knows me. They get the whole time-dollar thing mixed up. But if I were to start coming up with 5 minute meals, this would be first on the list. Because it takes you less than 5 minutes to get our your slow … [Read more...]
Savory Butternut Soup
Butternut squash is such a lovely squash. It's simple to prepare, needs little adornment, and totally delicious. The gorgeous orange color is a celebration of sorts of the glory of autumn. I like it in soup. This soup features butternut squash in a top 8 free, vegan way. It's a savory soup with just a touch heat and natural sweetness from the squash itself. We'll … [Read more...]
Savory Slow Cooker Chicken and Butternut Squash
This recipe is part of our 6th Costco Meal Plan: 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150! We've been enjoying lots of butternut squash lately, after buying some at Kroger, then more at Aldi the next week for just $.59 each! We've had this...a beef stew with butternut ...and I made the same beef stew mix for the guys to enjoy while I'm out of town this … [Read more...]
Mexican Rice
I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore the lovely rice you get on the side at a Mexican restaurant. Tex Mex is the name of the game. After much trial and error I think I've finally recreated a recipe that's really close to what you'll find in a local restaurant. This rice pairs perfectly with any sort of Mexican dish and is super simple and cheap to put together. It's … [Read more...]
Raspberry Almond Quinoa
I recently decided to cut out all forms of white and brown sugar from my diet to find out if this elimination would help steady my energy level throughout the day. I'm proud to report that I went without sugar for the entire month of August and plan to continue down this path! I discovered a noticeable difference in my energy level, productivity, consistency and clarity in my … [Read more...]
Creamy Avocado Pasta
Kelly sent this recipe for 15 Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta from Oh She Glows. She'd made it, loved it, and thought it might be helpful for those dealing with food allergies...and can't do white sauces with pasta. I was mainly intrigued because it was "something else to do with spaghetti noodles." We eat spaghetti on average 3-4 times a month...usually with a meat or marinara … [Read more...]