There are two things I want to teach my boys: How to make more than a box of Mac n Cheese for a meal. How to work hard and manage their money well. Seriously. That's it. (Well, maybe a few other things. But these are top of the list.) I shared a funny meme recently that read: ME: I need some help around here. ME, later: No, not like that...here, I'll do … [Read more...]
Chunky Avocado Salsa
Can you say CINCO DE MA-YUM!!!! It's Cinco de Mayo week and I've got a great new recipe to try! Love me some salsa (yes, I judge tex-mex joints based on their salsa!) and I apparently have been missing out on the whole 'add avocado chunks to your salsa' thing. This is 'next level' salsa right here...and I'm so grateful to my friend Hannah for introducing me to this bowl … [Read more...]
6 Ingredient Substitutions for Healthier Cooking
If you love to cook and cook often, you might be looking for ways to make your meals healthier. Using a great deal of fat and sodium in your cooking isn’t a healthy way to live, but luckily there are ways you can tweak your recipes into healthier versions of themselves. Take a look below at 6 ingredient substitutions for healthier cooking, so you can keep … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Flavor-ize Shredded Chicken in the Instant Pot
With shredded chicken, it feels like the flavor possibilities are endless. Yesterday, I shared my ultimate shredded chicken recipe. It's "plain shredded chicken" and it's like a perfect blank canvas for however you want to 'flavor-ize' it! Below, I'll share a very simple and basic 'recipe' for each of these ways to flavorize the chicken. If you're not familiar with … [Read more...]
King Ranch Chicken Mac & Cheese
Pardon me while I drown myself in this bowl of cheesy delicious. It's macaroni and cheese, doctored up with all the delicious flavors from the traditional King Ranch Chicken. I've made King Ranch Chicken Enchiladas...and we are adding this Mac n Cheese to our "King Ranch list." You can use any small shell pasta for this - I used rotini because that's what I had in my … [Read more...]
Are You One of the 212,000 People Who Still Hasn’t Opened Their Instant Pot?!
Did you know that on Black Friday alone, there were 215,000 Instant Pots sold? And by my approximations and by what I'm reading and hearing online, only about 3,000 of those have actually taken it out of the box. (LOL) That's my guesstimation - as I've seen MANY folks hop on this trend...but never actually try using it. Well, let me put you on the fast track to learning … [Read more...]
Perfectly Seasoned Ground Beef Recipe
My Go-To "Formula" for Perfectly Seasoned Ground Beef Keep reading to find out how much minced dried onion and garlic powder to use when browning and cooking ground beef. I use this ratio in 99.5% of ground beef recipes... Earlier this week, I shared my "ratio recipe" for barely seasoned rice. And I thought I'd follow up with another of my most used "formulas" … [Read more...]
Barely Seasoned Rice
Rice - it's one of our favorite side dishes. Because it's easy. It's cheap. It's filling (hello, 4 growing boys!!!). And it's super 'customizable.' As a kid, we grew up eating simple rice as a side dish. I think it was minute rice, cooked in water. I liked to add butter and garlic salt to mine. Just a smidge. My brother would drown his in salad dressing/vinaigrette - … [Read more...]
3 Easy Ways to Save on Cleaning Supplies
If you're looking to save in 2017, add these to your "to try" list... When it comes to an area of your grocery budget that you can save money without really feeling a hit, cleaning supplies is on the top of my list. I have shared many times that I like to save on cleaning supplies and toiletries so that I can free up more of my grocery budget for fresh, healthful … [Read more...]
DIY Pie Crust Shield
On Thanksgiving, I had a bit of an "emergency" with our Fudge Pecan Pie. I arrived at my dad's house for the feast and he asked if I'd make my famous Fudge Pecan Pie. I agreed, because YUM. But there was a bit of a problem - he didn't have a pie crust shield. So I had to make my own... And I did it on FB LIVE - you can watch to see how you can make one easily … [Read more...]