By special request...

After my post about putting your Crock Pot on a timer, someone requested the recipe for Crock Pot Enchiladas that was pictured in the CP.  This is a recipe that I got from my friend Julie... it is very yummy and approved by my not-so-in-love-with-the-crock-pot husband!

Slow Cooker Enchiladas
1 lb ground beef (I used 1/2 lb that was leftover from tacos... it still was beefy enough for us)
1 cup chopped onion (we aren't big fans of chopped onion, so I used onion powder)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (I did both green and red pepper)
1 can pinto or kidney or chili beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 ounces) Rotel
1/3 cup water
1 t chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas

In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and green pepper until beef is browned and veggies are tender; drain.  Add the next 8 ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine cheeses.

In a slow cooker, layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture, one tortilla and about 1/3 cup cheese.  Repeat layers.  Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through. Slice like a pie and enjoy!

This is a lot of food for my family right now, so I freeze half of it after it's cooked and then warm it in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes... tastes just as good the second time around!

How do you like your chocolate???

Those that know me well, know that I love me some chocolate... with a Dr. Pepper on the side, of course.  It is truly my guilty pleasure. Chocolate may even be my love language.  Maybe Gary Chapman needs to add an extra chapter to his book for me.  :)  Anyway... I used to be a lover of all things milk chocolate... I especially loved Milk Chocolate Bliss Squares.  Heaven in a wrapper.

Something weird has been happening to me lately, though... maybe it has to do with me becoming more grown up... I mean, I am just a few months shy of 30... maybe my taste buds are just maturing a few weeks before the big day.... for-whatever-reason I recently made the switch from milk chocolate to dark chocolate (something I never thought I would do).  My chocolate change of heart happened overnight (imagine that, a girl changing her mind overnight... we'll leave that for another post).    Come to find out, Dark Chocolate Bliss Squares are my new heaven in a wrapper.  Who knew???

So, what do you prefer, milk or dark???

Something that makes life easier... at lunch.

Every now and then I'm going to start posting a picture of something that makes life a little easier around here. It's no rocket science, just some things that I've picked up along the way. :)

So for the first edition (Doesn't that sound so professional??? HA!) I am presenting (drum roll please) Muffin Tin Lunches. This is an idea I stole from someone along they way, but I love it. Basically it's just a bunch of odds and ends thrown into a muffin tin and served to your children for lunch. They.love.it. AND in case your wondering, I secretly like to eat out of a muffin tin, also.


Usually we eat right out of the tin, but last week I gave everyone a plate... Eric was not home for lunch on this particular day, but this tray fed all three of us. Sadie wanted me to take a picture of her "circle of food." She was quite pleased with herself.


Whoever it was that I stole this idea from used 6 cup tins and each person ate out of their own tin instead of sharing. That would be kind of fun, too... I should start looking for 6 cup tins at Goodwill! Happy Munching!

Yummylicious

We made some Pumpkin Muffins this last weekend that were oh-so-good. Even picky little Cole likes to eat them... as long as you refer to them as cupcakes. :) Thought I'd pass along the recipe for you baking types!


Pumpkin Muffins
Whisk Together:
1 can (mine was 15 oz) pumpkin
1/3 cup oil (I subbed applesauce)
2 eggs
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 cup sugar
1./2 t. baking soda
1/2 salt

Stir in:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 t. baking powder

Fill 12 muffin cups half full with mixture. In a separate bowl make a topping of 1 t. cinnamon and 1 T sugar. Sprinkle over muffins Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes and ENJOY!

Some Perspective

I have been lacking creativity in cooking lately. It's kind of that awkward time of year when you are tired of grilling out but the weather isn't quite cool enough to have soup 3 times a week.

Anyway, I have whined (despite my efforts in teaching Sadie to do everything without complaining or grumbling... great role modeling, I know) over preparing meals this week... I mean, coming up with three creative and fun meals every day and meeting the nutritional needs of everyone is hard work. This article put my food prep in perspective . I hope it's encouraging to you!

Summer Suppers, I will miss you!

Compost From Tonight - too pretty not to photograph

Do you see what I see???

Because yummy green beans make me happy

I have never liked fresh boiled green beans. It seems like you can boil them and boil them and boil them and they still come out a little on the crunchy side... in my opinion the only thing worth eating out of a pan of boiled green beans is the butter soaked bacon.

Last summer I became addicted to roasting veggies. We ate roasted carrots, potatoes, asparagus and cauliflower... and everybody (well, most everybody) loved it. So, last week I came across a recipe that included roasted green beans... I hadn't even thought of roasting green beans... THEY ARE SO GOOD. And tender. And flavorful. And so yummy you will want to eat the whole batch BY YOURSELF. So, I'm passing along this wonderfully delicious and healthy green bean recipe... enjoy!


Roasted Green Beans
12 oz green beans
1 T olive oil
3/4 t. salt

Mix the ingredients in a bowl until the beans are well coated. Spread beans out on a cookie sheet in a single layer (I cover mine with parchment). Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Still waiting for fruit

My favorite meatloaf....

My friend, Erin, over at Erin's Little Corner of the World asked for some new recipes SEVERAL weeks ago. I have been very slow in the blogging world lately, so this one's for you Erin... and everyone else that likes to eat! :)

Mexicali Meatloaf

Sauce: Combine 1/2 cup of salsa and 6 T of sour cream and refrigerate.

Mix together:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup oats
1 t. dried parsley flakes
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Pat meat mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Let set for 5 minutes, slice and serve with prepared sauce.

Super quick to prep and yummy! :)

Roles or Rolls...

Sadie: Mommy, can I have a casserole???

After looking around and thinking about what on earth she's talking about....

Me: Sadie, do you mean a cinnamon roll???

Sadie: Yes, a cinnamon roll.

She'll soon learn not to confuse a casserole with a cinnamon roll. :)

How Little Boys Eat

Sadie has never been a big eater. It took her forever to become interested in eating real food (and she was never interested in baby food). When she ate as a baby and as she eats now, she picks at her food, taking maybe a couple bites of each item. She rarely cleans her plate and when she does, we celebrate!

Then there is Cole. He became interested in food at around 10 months or so... VERY interested in food. And not the baby food type... the REAL deal. He still does not have any teeth, but it doesn't seem to bother him. :) Little boys are in an eating league of their own!!! Maybe you can relate....

- When it's time to eat, little boys kick their feet and flail their arms until their food is on their plate.
- When little boys run out of food they scream or squeal until they get more grub (forget any signing that they have been taught).
- Little boys can wake up from a dead sleep in the drive thru at DQ for a sweet treat.
- Instead of using a tidy pincer grip to get a bite, little boys take bites by the handful... usually with both hands full, one after the other.... the snarfing technique.
- A little boy's food mess is not contained to just the hands and face... you have to clean a boy up all the way to his armpits.
- Food truly makes this little boy VERY happy! :)

Visit DQ TODAY!!!

Just wanted to let everyone know that today is "Miracle Treat Day" at Dairy Queen. A portion of each Blizzard (at least $1 or more, depending on location) that is purchased goes to Children's Miracle Network to help children with medical needs.

Each year, Children's Miracle Network will give $500 to every child with a medical need. This organization helped us purchase 1/4 of Cole's helmet and their application process was a breeze compared to other grant organizations we were working with. Help bless a family today... and go eat a Blizzard!

She'll never be the same...

I am doing my best to feed my family the purest of foods. Please understand that I haven't jumped on the "everything organic" bandwagon, but I do my best to shop on the outer edge of the grocery store... make our own sweet treats (so I know what's in them)... purchase our beef from farmers that we trust... steer away from the high fructose corn syrups, other disgustingly modified ingredients and hormones put in foods (however, I haven't been able to kick my high fructose corn syrup beverage of choice... *gasp*).

Every now and then, you have to live life on the edge, though... before I knew all this information about processed food and the effects it has on children's bodies and their behaviors (and adult's bodies and behaviors, for that matter), I used to indulge in the Smucker's Uncrustables. I decided to purchase some of these the other day to throw in Eric's lunchbox (because sometimes I'm a lazy lunch maker) and I had planned to sneak a few of them for myself. Shhhh... don't tell anyone that I sometimes hide behind a cabinet sneaking treats.

Sadie spotted me putting the Smucker's treat into the cart and she couldn't believe that you could buy a sandwich "that you didn't have to make!" Oh the glee in her voice. She immediately wanted to try one when she got home.

After arriving home, we allowed for proper thawing time, unwrapped the perfectly round sandwich and putting everything I know about the importance of WHOLE WHEAT aside, I let my baby girl take her FIRST BITE OF WHITE BREAD.

Yes it's true, this health conscious mama fed her child white bread slathered in strawberry jelly full of high fructose corn syrup... and she's still alive... sometimes it's okay to live life on the edge. :)

Something Yummy...

Don't you love the Crock-Pot??? Here's a simple recipe we tried last week while my mom was visiting. She had heard about it from one of her friends and it was so yummy!!! I'm not really sure the name of it, so we'll call it...

Yummy Mexican Chicken
2 chicken breasts (already *cooked & shredded)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can of corn, drained
1/2 pkg of taco seasoning or 1 1/2 T homemade (I'll have to share my recipe sometime)
1/2 cup salsa

Mix all ingredients together and cook in the crock pot on low for 4 hours. This is yummy served in a tortilla with some shredded cheese and sour cream OR I ate it leftover on lettuce with some Creamy Italian and crushed tortilla chips. Oh so yummy... and if you're calculating Weight Watcher points, it's only 4 points for 1/2 cup!

* I cook a bag of frozen chicken breasts ahead of time in the crock pot (chicken, garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper - cook on low for 5 hours) and then shred it, baggie it in 1 cup portions & freeze it for meals. It makes prep time a snap and is easy to throw in casseroles, chicken salads etc.

Eat your veggies....

Yes, I've been on a veggie kick lately... and not the kind out of the can that have been sitting in salt and water for Lord knows how long... here's my latest super easy, yummy treat (and even hubby likes it).

Honey Glazed Carrots

1 Cup of Water
1 t. salt
1 Pound of Carrots (remember, I'm into saving baby carrots... use the "mommy/daddy" carrots... they're much tastier)
1 T honey
1 T chopped cilantro (good w/o this too)

Bring one cup of water & salt to a boil. Peel and chop carrots into bite-sized pieces... I like to chop them on the diagonal... they are so much fun to eat that way. :) Put carrots into boiling water and cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain off the water and add honey and cilantro. Let sit for 5 minutes until the flavors mingle (aka... "hello carrot, my name is honey... nice to meet you").

Sorry for being a little fruity... I know this was supposed to be about veggies. Anyway, remember what mama told you and EAT YOUR VEGGIES.

Veggie-licious

You know I love to eat veggies when I take a picture of them so you can see how yummy they look... I wish you could have a taste!!! I have found that I absolutely LOVE roasted vegetables... here's the recipe I've been making for us lately!

Roasted Potatoes, Carrots & Asparagus (this serves 3ish)
Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
Cut 6 new potatoes in half. Drizzle with 1 t. of Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lay out flat on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are roasting, cut 5-6 carrots (use regular carrots... save the babies for another meal) in half lengthwise and place on one end of a separate cookie sheet. Drizzle with 1 t. Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Take your potatoes out of the oven and toss them with 1/2 t. dried rosemary. Return the potatoes to the oven and also put the carrots in the oven. Bake 5 minutes.

Prepare your asparagus with the same sprinkle/drizzle method as the potatoes and carrots.

Take your carrots out of the oven, toss them and add the asparagus to the carrot cookie sheet. Bake everything for an additional 10 minutes. Serve it up and enjoy!

It's a lot of drizzling, sprinkling, tossing and roasting... but so worth every bite. :)

Here's another roasting recipe I'm going to put on the menu for next week. Let me know if you try it before me!

Roasted Cauliflower
2 T Olive Oil
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 head of cauliflower, cut in small florets

Set oven to 425 degrees. Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until cauliflower is coated with oil. Transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast 35-45 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes for the last 15 minutes, until cauliflower is a dark brown color, but not burnt. Enjoy! :)

Happy roasting everyone... might as well get some good roasting practice in as marshmallow season is right around the corner! :) Who knows... you might love these veggies so much that you'll trade out 'mallows on your skewer for some yummy veggies!

Would you dare???

I read a marque sign this morning...

"Try our fish tacos and shrimp quesadillas."

I LOVE fish. I might even try these dishes at a "sit down" restaurant... but at TACO TICO??? I think NOT! One word for this... disgusting.

Super YUMMY!

My SIL gave me a really great cookbook for Christmas and I LOVE it... Deceptively Delicious! If you get your hands on a copy, start pureeing and enjoy the goodness! Wanted to pass along a yummy recipe that we couldn't get enough of this week! Hope you can try it out!

Avocado Spread
1 cup avocado puree
1/2 c. nonfat plain yogart
1 T reduced fat mayo
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. garlic powder (we used 2 garlic cloves instead)

Mix it all together and enjoy! We also diced some tomatoes (remember the tomatoes) and threw them it... ahhh... makes me want to go buy an avocado. :)