When it comes to easy dinner solutions, chicken always seems to be at the top of the list! In honor of National Chicken Month, I've got some amazing chicken recipes, perfect for busy nights and tight budgets! Now that fall actives are in full swing, I'm always trying to figure out what I'm gonna feed my family before or after baseball practice, games, drum corp, and all the other little things that scheduled during the week. We always try to make it a point to sit down together as a family for at least one meal a day, and having something easy and ready to go is a great way to gather everyone to the table. To take the guess-work out of dinner ideas that the entire family will eat, I've teamed up with a few other fantastic food bloggers to bring you some amazing chicken dinner … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup
The best potato soup recipe you'll ever make! This super-simple Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup is the perfect dinner solution for busy weeknights. Loaded with big chunks of ham, potatoes, and topped with lots of cheese, bacon and onions, this comfort food is a great for anyone who loves a hearty, delicious bowl of soup! Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup Fall is just around the corner. It is, without a doubt, my favorite season of the year! Back to school, football season, cooler weather, and the turning of the leaves are just a few of my favorite attributes that come with the season. We'll have several activities going this fall, including my son's baseball season, Drum Corp performances, as well as all of his school activities. It's the perfect … [Read more...]
Easy Alfredo Sauce
A go-to sauce for so many dishes, this Easy Alfredo Sauce is perfect for pasta, pizza and much more! Forget the store-bought stuff, this easy homemade Alfredo is made with just a few simple ingredients and comes together in just minutes! Once I realized how easy it was to make fresh, homemade Alfredo sauce, I never bought a jar of the store-bought stuff ever again. Not only does homemade Alfredo taste WAY better, it's also simple to make taking just a few minutes, with just few simple ingredients! Who knows how many ingredients the jarred store-bought stuff has?! Step 1: Over medium heat, melt the butter and add flour in a non-stick skillet. Yes, this does have a full stick of butter (it's not the lightest sauce, but definitely flavorful!). You'll add … [Read more...]
Light and Easy Crab Cakes
The best crab cakes you'll ever have! Filled with sweet, delicious Alaskan Snow Crab, and seasoned with fresh ingredients, these crab cakes will be a perfect dinner solution any night of the week! One of my absolutely favorite seafood dishes is crab cakes! However, I will say that I've been disappointed by MANY crab cakes, from pricey restaurants to the frozen, prepared crab cakes. I'm usually disappointed because crab cakes often tend to have more "cake" than crab and are often overly greasy and heavy, and not seasoned properly. I quickly realized that if I wanted a really good crab cake, I need to make them myself, and use really good crab - Alaskan Snow Crab is the best! I also discovered that when you make your own crab cakes at home, you can … [Read more...]
Easy Pesto Pasta with Scallops
Disclosure: I received free Barilla Collezione Regional Specialties Pasta products that were utilized in this post. All opinions are 100% my own. An easy, delicious dinner option for any night of the week! Spaghetti alla Chitarra pasta is paired with pesto sauce, pan seared sea scallops and fresh Parmesan Reggiano cheese for a wonderfully delicious meal! Just over ten years ago, my husband was sent on extended international business travel with his company....to Italy! The assignment was for six months, so it was short enough where I couldn't quit my job in the U.S. to go with him, but long enough to miss him dearly. He was in Avezzano, Italy, which is in the central Abruzzo region east of Rome. While he was there I was able to make a couple trips over to visit, which for … [Read more...]
Ten Easy and Delicious Seafood Recipes
Seafood is one of our favorite ways to enjoy a healthy, delicious dinner, and these ten recipes are excellent, easy options for any night of the week! With Lent just around the corner, I though I would put together some of my most favorite Easy and Delicious Seafood Recipes. I've teamed up with some of my other food blogger friends to bring you 10 of the most wonderful Seafood Recipes. So, without further ado, here are those amazing recipes: #1: Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon by Delightful E Made #2 Lobster Risotto by The Floating Kitchen #3: Grapefruit & Spinach Salad with Grapefruit Glazed Mahi Mahi by Delightful E Made #4: Grilled Tilapia Bowls with Chipotle Avocado Crema by Joyful Healthy Eats #5: Shrimp Bacon and Corn Chowder by Delightful E … [Read more...]
Pistachio & Apple Snacks
Does your mid-day snacking tend to get the best of you? Do you need some easy, healthy and satisfying snack options? My Pistachio and Apple Snacks are the perfect solution to your snack cravings! Join me in celebrating the Year of the Skinny Nut! I have to tell you that I'm a bit of a snacker come mid-afternoon. I can do really well during breakfast and lunch, and then around 2:30, I tend to start looking for the snacks. I've decided that I'm probably not going to quell my desire for snacks - instead what I need are some healthy, satisfying alternatives to the junk food. I've come up with these super delicious Pistachio & Apple Snacks that are a perfect solution to my mid-day snack attacks! I really enjoy the crunch, slightly sweet and salty flavor of pistachios. … [Read more...]
Triple Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars – my best Oatmeal Recipes!
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and Quaker. All opinions are mine alone. The combination of sweet, zesty Strawberries, Raspberries and Blueberries are baked to perfection with rolled oats and brown sugar. These breakfast bars make the perfect quick breakfast on-the-go, or are fantastic when you have company during the holidays and want to having something sweet to enjoy with coffee. This is one of my favorite oatmeal recipes! #QuakerUp #My OatsCreation #CollectiveBias When it comes to oatmeal, I love baking with it, just as much as I love cooking up for breakfast on a cold morning. One of my favorite ways to eat oatmeal is stirring in berries, to the delicious hot cereal. A while back, I decided that I need to make a portable, breakfast … [Read more...]
Sweet Kale and Grilled Sirloin Salad
The perfect entree salad for the meat lover! Loaded with crunchy, delicious kale, Brussels sprouts, shredded broccoli, cabbage and chicory and topped with grilled sirloin steak, this salad is incredible. Fresh, filling and perfect for lunch or a light dinner! Especially during the holiday season, its easy to go overboard with eating, and then suddenly discover you've gained 5 lbs (or more!), and your jeans no longer fit. I speak from experience here. ;) With this in mind, I'm always looking for healthy, delicious lunch and dinner ideas that keep me on the healthy track. This Sweet Kale and Grilled Sirloin Salad is a fantastic meal idea that is healthy, filling, and full of flavor. This salad starts with an Eat Smart Sweet Kale Vegetable Salad Kit, that is … [Read more...]
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie
Looking for a delicious dessert for your next party? This Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie has a delicious chocolate & strawberry cream filling, topped with more strawberries and drizzled with chocolate! Its one decadent dessert that will satisfy any sweet-tooth! On occasion, when we're going to a friends house for a get-together, or having some friends over, I like to offer a delicious dessert. Pie is always a hit - ALWAYS! Especially when it includes chocolate and strawberries! This Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie is the perfect dessert for when you want something that looks and tastes amazing! The crust of this pie is actually a store-bought OREO crust. You could certainly make your own, however, when crunched for time, these pre-made crusts are a perfect … [Read more...]
How to Cook A Moist Turkey
Here's how to cook a moist turkey for Thanksgiving! Are you hosting Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving or Christmas this year? I'll show you how to cook a moist turkey in just three easy steps. I'll show you how to brine a turkey, which is the secret to getting a juicy and flavorful bird every time! After hosting several Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, I've discovered how to cook a moist turkey by brining. Once you learn how to brine a turkey, your holiday bird moist, juicy and flavorful when you do the right things ahead of time. Brining your turkey is probably one the easiest ways to add some great flavor and moisture to your bird. Once you brine a turkey, you'll never go back! I'm going to show you three easy steps on how to cook a moist turkey for … [Read more...]
Lime Chicken Chili
This Lime Chicken Chili is a healthy, delicious dinner that's done in under 30 minutes! Made with chicken, beans and peppers along with fresh lime juice and cilantro, this chicken chili recipe is fabulous! Lime Chicken Chili - the perfect Chicken Chili recipe! Today, my son Harrison scored his very first touchdown in a flag football game! He normally plays center, and snapping the football seems to be what he's good at. However, today our fantastic coach decided that it was Harrison's turn to get into the end-zone. As he got the hand-off, he dodged the defensive players and ran it in for a touchdown. He was so excited! Lots of cheers, high fives, and fist-bumps - and that was just by the parents! The boys were thrilled to win their … [Read more...]
Shrimp Bacon and Corn Chowder
Shrimp and his best friend bacon team up together in this amazing soup! Loaded with flavor, this soup is a must-have on a cold fall or winter night. Its the ultimate comfort food! I know I've said it before, but its worth noting again; I'm pretty much always looking for and trying new dinner recipes. They need to be easy to make, quick to prepare, include simple ingredients and on the healthier side for my family. Can you relate? Once I come across something that's easy for me to prepare and my family enjoys it, I consider it a dinner victory! This Shrimp Bacon & Corn Chowder is my latest dinner victory! This soup is fabulous in so many ways! The ingredients are simple, and items that I usually have on hand in my pantry and fridge. The celery, onion and garlic … [Read more...]
Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
The Perfect Apple Cider Pork Chops recipe! The ultimate recipe for glazed pork chops! Coated with an apple cider glaze, and grilled to perfection, these sweet and savory apple cider chops are perfect any time you're in the mood for meat! These Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops are the perfect weeknight dinner for a family to reconnect during the week. Made with a simple, yet delicious apple cider glaze, these pork chops seriously deliver on flavor. Glazed pork chops are fantastic for a great, easy-to-make family dinner. We love pork at our house, and I cook and grill with it often. Pork is healthy and lean, it's easy to cook, versatile, and best of all its really economical! I adapted this recipe from what I normally use for grilled pork loin, and with … [Read more...]
Smokey Apple & Bacon Quesadillas
Sweet and savory. For me, this is one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations. I'm always trying to come up with new, easy and flavorful things to make for lunch or snacks, and my son is a big fan of quesadillas. So I decided to mix it up a bit, and come up with a sweet, crunchy, savory quesadilla that would work as a snack, lunch or even breakfast. This Smokey Apple & Bacon Quesadilla is perfect!! The smokey aspect of this quesadilla comes from the creamy, delicious smoked Gouda. I absolutely love this cheese! It adds such a great smokey, savory flavor to just about anything you're cooking. (PS - It's my favorite cheese to top a burger!) Paired with the crisp, slightly tart Granny Smith apple, and thick-cut crisply cooked … [Read more...]
Tuna and Apple Lunchbox Sammies
As we approach another school year, many of us will be packing lunches for our kids, and often times for ourselves as well. I always end up trying to find new and fun lunchbox meals outside of the same, boring old sandwiches. Well, I've come to the rescue with my Tuna and Apple Lunchbox Sammies! They're a new, fun lunch idea that both you and your kids will totally love! The delicious tuna salad is made from Bumble Bee Premium Albacore Tuna in pouches. These handy Bumble Bee tuna pouches make prep really easy, and clean-up quick. They're perfect to open up, get lunches made and out the door in no time at all! I also like them, as they store easily in the pantry, and barely take up any space! (Nice bonus, right?!) The cans are great as … [Read more...]
White Pizza with Bacon and Tomatoes
A pizza-lovers dream! Loaded with cheesy Alfredo sauce and topped with fresh, delicious tomatoes, onions, basil and savory bacon, this pizza is perfect for pizza night or for an easy dinner solution any night of the week! Is it me, or do I have the only kid in America that doesn't eat pizza? Isn't pizza one of those foods that kids go crazy for? My husband and I love it, but our 6-year-old son would rather go without eating than grabbing a slice. Therefore, it has become a small mission of mine to create a pizza that my son will enjoy just as much as his parents. I decided to make a pizza that uses an Alfredo sauce, instead of a red sauce (which is what he says he doesn't like.) Topped with some seriously delicious toppings: cheese, bacon, red … [Read more...]
Loaded Guacamole
A must-have for any Mexican meal! This fresh, delicious chunky guacamole is loaded with fresh avocados, tomatoes, onions and the perfect spices. You'll want to put this guacamole on everything! I don't know about your household, but Mexican food is definitely a staple here at our house. Any time we're having something like tacos, enchiladas, or fajitas, there is ALWAYS guacamole to go with it. For the longest time, I was one of those people at the grocery store buying the little tiny container of guacamole for $3.99. Not only was it rather expensive, it didn't taste that great. This home-made Loaded Guacamole tastes way better! Once I discovered how easy it was to make this Loaded Guacamole at home, there was no more buying that mediocre stuff at … [Read more...]
Easy Iced Coffee
I have to tell you, that I really love coffee. If it wouldn't keep me up at night, I would drink it all day long! It's one of my favorite parts of the morning - I walk over to my trusty Tassimo coffee maker and brew me up a nice cup of joe. However, when it gets hot like it did here yesterday (90 by noon!), I really love nothing more than an iced coffee. Now don't get me wrong, I delight in a great Starbucks iced latte like everyone else, but its not always great on my wallet. So, I'm gonna fill you in on how to make a fabulous tasting, and super easy iced coffee right at home. A great tip to making iced coffee is using coffee ice cubes. Making coffee ice cubes is about as simple as it sounds. Pour some brewed coffee in an ice cube tray, and freeze. You can use regular … [Read more...]
