chocolate chip blueberry breakfast quinoa | pinterest test

Is breakfast a tough one in your house, too? It is in mine. Mostly, because it calls on me to provide for my children before consuming an entire pot of coffee.  I'm always trolling Pinterest to find simple breakfast recipes that are filling and add some variety to our usual scrambled eggs. I found this breakfast quinoa a few weeks ago. This is a go-to breakfast for us, now.  I was a little skeptical about blueberries and chocolate together, but I am now a believer.  I have to double the recipe from what How Sweet Eats shows to feed all fours of us.  I have also used just regular ol' butter and milk, too.  Almond milk is super great, too. Either way, give it a go! Chocolate chips make mornings better.
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Chocolate Chip Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa
1 C blueberries
1 1/2 cup + more for drizzling of milk, your choice
1 C quinoa, uncooked
1/2 C mini chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Generous pinch of salt
4 teaspoons vanilla (adjust if using flavored milk)
1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
In saucepan, heat butter or oil.  Add dry quinoa and coat with oil or butter. Toast quinoa for a few minutes or until you smell it. Add milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, & simmer for 15 minutes. Just as you would if prepping plain quinoa. Fluff with fork. Divide into bowls, to with chocolate chips and blueberries, drizzle milk, and enjoy!

slowcooker lentil & sausage stew | pinterest test

perfect baby eating perfect baby food. :)

I came across this recipe on Pinterest last weekend.  I had all the ingredients, so I decided to give it a whirl.  It came out delicious and everyone liked it.  Especially Violet Alice.  Lentils are the perfect baby food. I added garlic and used the entire package (16 oz.) of Italian sausage. This does not and could not cook all day, unless you have a crockpot with a timer.  So save this for a day you can be home to throw it together later in the afternoon.
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Slowcooker Lentil and Sausage Stew
1 package of Italian sausage, cut up
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 c. of beef broth
1 can (14.5 oz.0 of diced tomatoes
3 carrots, chopped
1 c. of lentils
2 large handfuls of spinach
Combine everything but the spinach in the crockpot.  Cook on high for 3 hrs or low for 5 hours.  A 1/2 before done, add spinach.  Cook until spinach is wilted and lentils are tender.  Enjoy! (We ate ours with cornbread. Delicious!)

oven stew + skillet cookie

Me and Mike's anniversary was on Monday. We celebrated on Saturday night by having a delicious dinner at Lot 2 and checking out some the breweries in Benson. On Monday, I decided to make a Guinness Beef Stew for dinner. Beef Stew was one of the dishes we served at our wedding. Then I discovered we had drank all the Guinness. Whoops! So I decided to use red wine and try a few techniques out. I saw on an America's Test Kitchen episode where they made a stew in the oven and added the veggies later in the cooking time. Adding the veggies later prevents mushy veggies. They also omitted the browning of the meat.  Cooking in the oven imparts a roasted flavor. It combines a stew with the cooking technique of short ribs or pot roast, meaning you assemble it, stick in the oven and forget it. Perhaps you all heard of making a stew in the oven, but I have not. This is my kind of cooking.
Later in the afternoon, I had a massive craving for chocolate. But I had no butter softened or really all that much chocolate to bake with.  I recalled seeing a skillet cookie somewhere, but couldn't find the one I wanted. So I sort of made one up. It was so, so good. Mike thinks we should only make cookies this way. You make it and bake it inn the skillet. No soft butter needed. No dishes.
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Oven Stew
1 Chuck Roast, cut into cubes, salt & peppered
1 onion, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive Oil
3/4 C of good red wine
4 C beef broth
1 heaping teaspoon of Italian seasoning
4 carrots, cut into chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 container of mushrooms, 8 oz
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute onion until soft. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in seasoning. Cook 30 seconds. Pour in wine and scrape bits off of bottom of pan. Cook about 2 minutes. Pour in broth and add beef. Stick in oven with lid ajar. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add veggies and cook for another hour or so. Until veggies are tender and meet is fork tender. Enjoy.

Skillet Cookie
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 t of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of chocolate chip
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In an 8" oven safe skillet (I used cast iron), melt butter. Stir in sugars and vanilla. Remove from heat. When warm and not hot to the touch, add egg. Carefully, mix in dry ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips. The batter will be thick and somewhat difficult to work with, but stick with it. Spread evenly in pan. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden. Serve warm. Enjoy.

another year

I finally sat down and thought about my 2014 resolutions. In an effort, to have more success in the resolution department, I am sharing them with the Internet. Maybe if I put them out into the Universe, it will provide me gumption. Or at least, shame.

1. Go on more culinary adventures.
{ cure our own bacon, raise chickens for eggs, make cheese, turn our weber into a smoker}

2. Go on a summer family vacation.

3. Foster the relationships that are important to me within my family and friend circle
{ more dates with Mike, one on one time with my kids especially Hendrix, girl nights, more solo time}

4. Learn how to use my sewing machine.

5. Create more.
{ check out my Pinterest board labeled: to make 2014}

6. Go on my first vacation without my kids or hubs.
{ Ikea here we come!}

7. Continue to practice kind self talk.

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I've already started on number 5. Here's the Valentine's wreath I have wanted to make and finally did over the weekend.

simple spaghetti with kale, lemon, and garlic | pinterest test

January is the month of new beginnings and resolutions, but it is also the month the seed catalogs arrive with mammoth force. Seed catalogs make me long for Spring and make it very difficult for me to stay in the moment. I have lists upon lists laying about planning our garden, spring cleaning, and the kids' birthdays. I have paint chips on the front door. I'm constantly looking into the future in January. It's time for me to take a deep breath. Whew.
This recipe I made several times last Spring. It is one of those few Pinterest recipes that comes out spectacular the first time. It's a great one for the days when it seems the greens won't stop coming or even when you forgot a bunch in the fridge. It's also great when you long for Spring, as I am now. My husband loved it as a side to a grilled steak. It is, however, a wonderful main dish. Adjust the quantities of the ingredients based on how many eaters you have and your taste.
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Simple Spaghetti with Kale, Lemon and Garlic
Adapted from Jess Thomson
Spaghetti
Kale
Olive Oil
Garlic, sliced thin
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan
Juice from fresh lemon
Prepare spaghetti. When it is almost done, saute kale in olive oil until almost crisp. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Drain pasta and add kale. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, and parmesan. Serve immediately and dream of Spring.

farro with sausage and apples

Happy New Year! Turns out, transitioning from one to two children is more difficult than none to one. It has been for me, anyways. Ha! Also, time seems to be on fast forward with Violet Alice. She's already standing and cruising. That among other things explains my lack of posting.I'm still figuring out what to make of this space. I also received an email from a disgruntled reader while I was pregnant. It left a bad taste in my mouth and forced me to review how I handle criticism. I ended up deleting a post. Which I now regret. You can't make everyone happy. In the end, I decided that this space is mine and what I want to say, how I want to say it, and what I want to share is my business. And I like sharing. The Internet is awesome and it allows you to connect with way more awesome people than not.  People keep linking back,so I must be doing something right. For the most part, though, I've been spending time with my family. Which has been so, so great.  Also, in the end, this space is a record of my family's life and it gives me great joy.
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There has also been a lack of Trader Joe's in my life until recently. Over the Holidays I took a job as a fragrance rep. It put me near TJ's. We have been reunited and it feels so good. Let's talk about the 10 minute farro packets. They also have bulgur and barley. I realize I am late to this party, but better late than never!! I bought the farro one and gave the recipe on the back a whirl. I have been trying to add more grains and variety to our dinner plate.  I like to have a protein, starch, and veg on the dinner plate.  So I have been trying to replace the usual starches (potatoes, rice, pasta) with different grains. This recipe was great, easy, and budget friendly. I estimate the whole thing cost about $10 to make. That is including the cabbage I served alongside.
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Farro with Sausage and Apples
1 packet of farro from TJ's, prepared in broth according to package directions.
1 onion chopped
1 large apple, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 package of chicken sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
In dutch oven, heat olive oil and saute onion, garlic, and apple until soft.  Add sausage and cook through. Stir in farro and season with salt and pepper.  Serve warm.  We had sauteed cabbage as a side. 

falling into fall

violet alice eating peas for the first time!!

preschool has been in full swing for over 2 months now which means we've all had a couple of colds and the stomach flu by now...it makes monthly menu planning a little more difficult. however, i am still planning my dinners.  i just do it for every 7 - 14 days.  whatever i can muster. *wink* i also make a big salad that i keep in the fridge for the week for quick lunches or snack, as well as, another snack like granola or muffins. some of these are repeats, i know, but they are so good!!!

here is a menu plan for next week:

sloppy joes with fries and coleslaw

{coleslaw recipe found in the dals cookbook}

butternut squash with orzo, bacon, and parmesan

{i'm simply roasting squash and tossing with orzo, bacon, parm, olive oil, and seasoning}

flounder with roasted fennel and potatoes

{see below}

homemade franks & beans

chicken, ham, and cheddar roll-ups with roasted broccoli

slowcooker tomato basil soup with grilled cheeses

turkey meatball soup with greens

{i'm using sausage since i have a ton in the freezer}

take & bake cheese pizza

{friday is pizza & movie night at our house so we treat ourselves to take out}

spinach salad

dark chocolate banana breakfast muffins

lately, i've been checking out cookbooks at the library before i commit to buying them.  the latest one i picked up was the fresh 20 cookbook.  it is a total winner and on my wishlist now.  here is my take on one of her recipes...

flounder with roasted fennel and potatoes

1 lb flounder or tilapia

1 bulb of fennel, sliced thin

4 yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin

1 onion, sliced thin

olive oil

salt

pepper

paprika

preheat oven to 450 degrees.  toss veggies in olive oil. salt, and pepper.  spread out on baking sheet and cook for about 20 - 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  heat oil in skillet.  season fish with salt, pepper, and paprika.  saute fish in pan, cooking about 4 minutes on each side.  serve with veggies. 

for more ideas check out my post baby meals board or the what's for dinner page.

happy cooking!!