REAL Mac & Cheese

A few days ago I was lucky enough to receive the Mama Voxbox from Influenster. Here's what the box included:

Of all of these things, though, the one I want to highlight is the Aged White Cheddar Mac & Cheese.

I was a little leery to try it because I'm not a huge fan of 'boxed' mac & cheese. But I received it for free, so it was my duty to try it and review it.

Y'all...it was so good. I don't generally care for the tiny macaroni noodles, but the sauce was delicious. I'm a sucker for white cheddar popcorn, and this? This is my new vice. I shouldn't even call it a vice because although it's delicious, it's much better for you than other 'boxed' varieties. Plus, one single serve package is only 220 calories!

Here's a snippet straight from Annie's website:

The best part? My daughter LOVES it! Mac & cheese is her favorite, & this did not disappoint. Run [don't walk] to your nearest Target  & pick up some! It's a little pricier than other brands, but honestly, you get what you pay for. 

For Your Sweet Tooth

If I didn't know any better, I would think that my sweet tooth is the size of Texas. It is probably the biggest reason that I've had so many relapses, but I'm here to share with you some of my favorite sweet treats to fight your cravings.

*Mind over matter! It's okay to indulge as long as the indulgences are within reason. Don't just eat aimlessly. Preportioned snacks are a good idea [especially for beginners] because once the package is done, you move on to a new activity. DON'T be tempted to open another pack! 

What are your favorite healthy [or low cal] sweet treats?

Spicy Sweet Potato Home Fries

I've been a bit obsessed with sweet potatoes lately, but with all of these benefits, can you blame me?

[source]

This is the perfect side to any lunch, especially a lunch that you would usually eat chips or fries.

Spicy Sweet Potato Home Fries

Make this wrap! 1 tortilla [120 cals], 1 wedge laughing cow cheese [35 cals], 4 slices deli style lunch meat 

[56 cal], shredded lettuce [10 cal], sweet potato home fries [54 cal]

total for the whole lunch: 275 calories!

1 small sweet potato, peeled & cubed [54 cals]

1/2 teaspoon Lawry's low sodium seasoned salt

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Spray olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Meanwhile, put potato cubes in a bowl and toss with seasoning. Add seasoned potatoes to the skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes [depending on how 'done' you want them, I like mine to have a slight crunch to them]. And Voila! There you have your spicy sweet potato home fries. Eat these plain [no ketchup!] or, if you must have something to dip them in, try 1 tbsp fage nonfat greek yogurt [14 cals] with a squirt of horse radish sauce. So good! 

Stop Making that Face

I was introduced to the deliciousness that is fermented fish sauce by way of kimchi.

Stop making that face. Yes, I said fermented fish sauce, and it's amazing.

A lot of times I'll use it in the place of salt, because it adds so much more flavor than JUST salt.

Why do I feel like I'm being judged right now?

If you eat asian food [specifically Korean or Thai] you already EAT it and you don't even know it. So go ahead, run to the store and pick up a bottle of fish sauce. The brand doesn't really matter, just make sure the bottle says first grade [the best kind]. 

Mark Sisson is the author of a wonderful blog, and in one post he speaks solely on the benefits of fermented foods. Read it here.

Tot Food::Zucchini Tots

Adelei has been eating what I like to call Big Girl food for quite a while now.

I'm not going to lie, sometimes it gets boring.

And sometimes I can tell she gets tired of the same ol' same ol'.

So I've been on a mission to expose her to more variety.

Thanks to pinterest, this hasn't been hard at all.

Today we tried our first toddler recipe.

Not only was it super easy [prep work was less than 5 minutes!], Adelei loved it, and I did, too!

I will definitely be making these more often.

Zucchini Tots

1 cup zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.


Note: I didn't use onion. Also, I used Panko bread crumbs, and that helped with the crispness. I substituted Mozzarella in place of the cheddar bc it's what I had on hand. It worked perfectly.

Yummy, Mommy!

 And I know this is very unlady like, but I guess because I've been taking so many pictures of her eating, she thinks she has to show me the food in her mouth now. At every meal. And when I say no, no! She laughs. Silly Girl!

Do you have any interesting tot food ideas? If so, I'd love to see them. Link up here!

The Best French Bread Pizza...Ever.

French Bread pizza is one of my absolute favs.

My love for it started a long, long time ago when I was having a sleep over at a friends' house.

Her mom made us French Bread pizza pretty much every time, but I wasn't complaining because it was good.

Fast forward to today. Hubby said he wanted pizza for dinner, only it's Monday, and I hate starting out my week not cooking [I know I'm so, so weird].

Anyway, so while I'm making my rounds at the commissary, I smell the fresh baking bread as soon as I walk in. I immediately think of French Bread pizza.

I stroll over to the racks to see tons of fresh french bread, and just a few loaves left of fresh garlic bread.

My mouth starts watering immediately. This is how I knew it was a great idea.

I finish my shopping, getting enough food for the rest of the week, and head home.

I'm literally thinking about this pizza all day long.

Even to the point where I exercised for longer than normal, just so I would feel less guilty about it.

And then I get a call from Aaron saying he was on his way home.

AKA time to start dinner.

Look at this perfection:

I swear this picture doesn't even do it justice.

 There are not enough words in the English language for me to describe how amazing this was [delicious + cheap + easy, what more can you ask for?]. In fact, we're most likely not going to be getting delivery any time soon.

The best pepperoni, ever.

We paired it with a salad, and I know I've used this phrase do describe pretty much everything in this post, but this is seriously the best dressing....ever.

Are you drooling yet?

Here's how you can make you're own. You're welcome.

1 loaf of fresh French Garlic Bread

1 can [or jar] of Pizza Sauce

1 8 oz bag of Mozzarella Provolone Blend Cheese

1 bag Pepperoni [I chose the kind made for sandwiches, bc I like it better]

Other toppings optional [I prefer my pizza 'plain' i.e. sauce, pepperoni, cheese. The Hubs likes his loaded..
olives, mushrooms, jalapenos. You name it, he will eat in on his pizza.]

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. It's very important that you do this first so it will be very hot when you put the pizza in [unless you like soggy bread]. The bread should already be cut in half length wise, so just cut it in half width wise. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray & place the bread crust side down. Spread as much [or as little!] of the pizza sauce on the bread. Cover with as much cheese as you like. Add as many pepperoni slices as you want [I used 3 per piece, using a total of 12]. Add any other toppings & then sprinkle just a tad more cheese on top to hold everything in place. Stick it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

This easily feeds 4 people. Possibly more if you also fill them up with salad!

If you try this, and I know you will, let me know how it works out for you!

Enjoy!

Sweet & Salty

Have you tried the Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks?

It's not often that I splurge on coffee drinks, but when I saw it, I knew I had to try it. And I did. And it was amazing. If you're a salty/sweet combo lover, this is the drink for you. I savored every last sip, and was a little sad when it was all gone.

Since then, I've been craving that salted caramel taste, so when I came across this recipe, I went right out & bought the ingredients. [I made mine in a 9x13 pan as opposed to jars]

It was so hard waiting for the brownies to bake, for the icing to set.
Ugh! But the time finally came for me to try one, and they lived up to my every expectation. These things are so wonderfully delicious. Definitely a guilty pleasure.

If you're looking for a new dessert to try this week, give this one a go. It's so good & super easy to make!

Put some SPICE in your life

All during my pregnancy, I craved anything & everything spicy.
I couldn't get enough.
While most of my cravings subsided since I had the baby, this one did not.

The newest way to get my fix?
Jalapeno Popper Dip.

Ingredients:
8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 bacon strips, cooked & chopped [OR you could use bacon bits!]
1/4 cup canned green chiles
2 fresh jalapenos, chopped & w/o seeds
Fresh Parmesan Cheese to top [optional]
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly [make sure there is NO lumps in cream cheese!] in large bowl. Spray baking dish, scoop all ingredients into dish, top with parm. cheese, & bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

*I used chicken flavored crackers & it was AMAZING! It's cheap & very easy to make. Seriously, try it & let me know what you think.

Taco Tuesday...sort of.

Often times, when I want to make something but am not sure how, I'll look up a recipe.
The first time, I will try the recipe exactly as it is written.
If I give it a chance and love it, I'll keep it the same. If I just like it, I improvise the next time.
That's what happened with this recipe. I've made it several times going by the recipe, but today I decided to change things up.

Here is my version of
Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 pkg taco seasoning [hot or mild]
1/4 cup water
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheeses, divided
3 cooked bacon strips, chopped
1/2 of an avocado, cubed
4 large flour tortillas

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F.

HEAT large skillet spayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 min. Add chicken, cream cheese, taco seasoning & 1/4 cup water; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

SPOON about 1/4 of the chicken mixture down center of each tortilla, add avocado, green onions, & bacon pieces; roll up. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with shredded cheese.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until heated through.

Add toppings such as sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, & onions.

If you like ridiculousness...

...you will like this.
If you have no sense of humor,
hit the X at the top right of your screen now.

Just this once

Yesterday Aaron and I made our way downtown to TroyFest. It's a little arts and crafts festival that they have here every year. I love looking at all the interesting artwork and hand made furniture that the vendors bring. Yesterday I was obsessing over these beautifully crafted pastel colored bird houses, but there were none in my price range, so we moved on.
I bought Adelei a pair of bloomers with our school Mascot's logo embroidered on them, but other than that, we just bought food :)

I absolutely LOVE street food, and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the main reason that I wanted to go. There were SO many choices. Too many choices, really, for my indecisive husband and I to choose from. We got the classic chili dog with fries, and quickly realized that although it was really good, we wished we would have gotten something else. Not long after we ate our lunch, Aaron decided it would practically be a sin to go to a festival and not get a funnel cake. And so we did. Only while we were in line for a funnel cake we saw that they ALSO sold deep fried oreos.
Folks, if you've never tried a deep fried oreo, you are seriously missing out. Heaven in your mouth. This is not a lie.
We didn't even finish it all before I felt like I was going into a sugar coma [I know, not good for the baby, but I just couldn't help it!] However, I kept seeing people walking around with Italian Ice. Not that crappy blended ice stuff, but the real, gourmet looking kind. I just couldn't do it. I wanted it so bad, though. We quickly decided that we would have to go back on Sunday to get lunch, and satisfy once and for all our street food fix until next year.
So that's exactly what we did today.
We headed back downtown for lunch and ended up getting the best grilled chicken [on a stick] that I have ever tasted in my entire life, ribbon fries, and of course...Italian Ice.
I chose the Blue Raspberry flavor and it was so delicious that it made me sad to eat the last bite.
Yes, I am a food-a-holic.

Frugal Christmas and a Stolen Credit Card

I had originally planned to take a picture of all the baked goods I made last night and how I packaged them, BUT I was in such a rush this morning to get everything done before I headed to work, that I totally forgot, and I won't be home again until Friday night. Sorry guys.

Anyways, here is a list of the things I made:
Peppermint bark
Turtle bark
Milk Chocolate AND White Chocolate covered pretzel sticks
Orange Amaretto Pound Cake
Gingerbread cookies
Hot Chocolate spoons

I put them in clear goody bags, and then put a few of each in these baker's boxes that I got from Michael's. Added a few candy canes and ribbon on the outside and VIOLA! A simple yet meaningful gift for my family. If you want any of the recipes I used, just leave your email address in a comment, tell me which one you want, and I will send it to you.

So, the reason that I was in such a rush to get everything done [even though I woke up TWO and a half hours before I needed to leave] is because this morning when I got online, I had an email from Capital One asking me to call them asap.
So I did.
And apparently someone stole not my credit card, but the number. HOW? I have no idea. I only use my c/c for emergencies AND I haven't used it online. We always shred our important documents.
When they told me they thought someone had stolen my card, I was kind of shocked, because, umm, hello? It's still in my wallet. But apparently it's true because the past few days SOMEONE has been spending a lot of money in ARIZONA.
Not only have I never been to Arizona, I haven't even been out of the state since August. I haven't even used my c/c since October.
Other than the fact that I'm really pissed off/confused about it, everything is okay. They canceled my account and I don't have to pay for any of the charges. They opened me up a new account and luckily I was able to keep all the same interest rates, etc.

I just don't understand how people can be so cruel.

Mmmm

Have ya'll tried the green bean fries from TGI Fridays?
They're amazing. Even if you don't like regular green beans, you will probably like these because they are well seasoned AND...they're fried :)

I think the only let down is that they're almost $7.

Last night I experimented, and made them at home. I had almost all the ingredients, so it only cost me $.55 to make 1/2 lb and the sauce.

4 servings

Wasabi Cucumber Ranch Dip

1/2 cup bottled ranch dressing (Hidden Valley is best)
1/4 cup cucumbers, peeled, seeded, minced
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper


Green Beans

1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
6-8 ounces fresh green beans
1 cup flour
1 cup plain breadcrumbs or seasoned dry bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
vegetable shortening, for frying or vegetable oil

Combine dip ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Place in bowl; cover and chill till ready to use. Dip will thicken as it chills.

Place beans in the broth. Bring to a boil and cook 15 minutes, then place in cold water to stop cooking process.

Mix beaten egg with milk in a shallow bowl. Measure 1 cup of flour into another shallow bowl.
Combine bread crumbs, 3/4 teaspoons salt, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder into a third bowl.

Take a handful of beans out of the water and shake off excess liquid. Coat the beans with the flour, shaking to remove excess flour. Dip the beans, one at a time, into egg/milk mixture, then dip in breadcrumb mixture. Place the beans on a plate until all are coated.

Heat the shortening or oil to 350*F in a heavy skillet(or use deep fryer). Use enough to cover the beans, about 1 1/2 inches. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

To serve, place on a large platter and serve with the wasabi cucumber ranch dip.

My first time...

Yesterday Aaron had an interview in Montgomery, so I decided to go with him.
After his hour long interview [isn't that nuts?] we decided to get some lunch.
It was my first time eating at Five Guys Burgers & Fries.
It was amazing. Seriously, I ate until my stomach hurt.
The only thing that sucked was the price.
For 2 hamburgers, 1 fry, & 2 drinks it was $18.00.
It was worth it for that kind of quality, but it will definitely be a rare treat.

Later, we went to see Inception. My heart raced pretty much the entire time. If you haven't seen it, you should do so immediately. I mean, I had a dream last night that someone was trying to get into my dream. But, was it a dream? Or was it real? Guess I'll never know.

30 days of me::It's over now

Day 30: Whatever tickles your fancy

What tickles my fancy today is our meal plan.
So, without further ado

Panko Crusted Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Garlic Bread
Italian Sausage and Hash Brown Casserole
Chicken Piccata with Crock Pot Mac-n-Cheese
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with New Potatoes, Carrots, and Corn Bread
Chicken Tetrazzini with Garlic Bread
Ooey Gooey Chili Cheese Nachos

30 days of me::Foooooood!

Day 21: A recipe


Each week I like to try at least ONE new recipe.
My favorite new recipe?
Crab cakes!

Ingredients

4-5 slices white sandwich bread
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 pound cooked fresh Dungeness crabmeat, picked over and drained [I used TWO cans of lump crab meat, drained]

Horseradish Mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

Method

1 Tear up the bread and pulse in a food processor to make fine, soft crumbs (about 4 cups). Transfer the bread crumbs to a shallow pan and mix in 1/2 cup of the parsley.

2 In a food processor, combine the egg yolk, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, mustard, paprika, thyme, celery seeds, and black pepper. Pulse to combine. With the motor running, add the oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream until the mixture emulsifies and forms a mayonnaise-type sauce. Transfer sauce to a bowl.

3 In a large bowl, combine the onion and bell pepper with the remaining 1/4 cup of parsley. Add the mayonnaise-type sauce and crabmeat and mix lightly. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 cup of the bread crumb mixture. Do not overwork the mixture. Gently form 6 cakes and flatten them into patties about 1/2 inch thick. Dredge the patties lightly in the remaining bread crumb mixture. Cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or longer.

4 Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat and add about 2 Tbsp of butter to the pan. Working in batches, fry crab cakes gently 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown and heated through. Add more butter to the pan if necessary.

5 To prepare the horseradish mayo, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate.

Makes six 4-inch wide crab patties.

30 days of me:: fancy schmancy

Day 12: Whatever tickles your fancy

Let's talk about Date Night.
And no, I don't mean the movie.
As a couple, especially a married couple, it is SO important to have date nights.
Everyone needs a chance to relax, eat good food, let loose, and have fun.
Our date nights used to consist of going out to eat, going to a movie, and sometimes we'd stop and get ice cream afterward.
Since we implemented a budget, we aren't going out as often, but it doesn't mean we can't have a great time together.

Let me introduce to you the
Date Night on a Budget.

I made us Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup & Goat cheese, baked potatoes, and freshly steamed spinach.

After dinner, we watched the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.



For a sweet ending to our night, I made a gooey toffee butter cake, straight from a Paula Deen recipe. Amazing!

And, we were able to only spend $12 to get everything we needed.
What do you do for date night?

I'm always gonna wanna blow your mind

I've done it.

I can't even begin to describe to you guys how amazing I feel right now.
Remember these?
They were amazing. Chocolate + Cherry is my all time favorite flavor combination.

This recipe came to me in a dream. No, it really did. I guess I'm a real fat kid now.

I am going to call it Chocolate Cherry Fantasy Pie.
And, because I love you guys, I will divulge my recipe that I just perfected today.

1 box brownie mix [I used Betty Crocker's original supreme]
+ eggs, oil, water according to package
1 8 oz package cream cheese [room temp]
1 8 oz container whipped cream
1 cup powdered sugar
+ more for decoration
1 14 oz can cherry pie filling
1 tsp vanilla flavoring

Prepare brownie mix according to package. IF you want, you can use the pie pans with crust in them already. I am not a big fan of those, so I just opted to use a glass pie pan with NO crust. For thicker brownies, use entire package in one pie pan, for thinner brownies, spread into 2 pie pans. I used a 9" pie pan, filled HALF full with the brownie mix, and then baked the rest in a smaller corning ware so I could give it to a friend. Bake brownies for 35-40 minutes.

While you're waiting for the brownies to bake, strain your cherries.

You want to keep both the cherries AND the filling, but you need at least 1/2 cup of the filling [with no whole cherries] to add into the cream cheese.


Wait until you've pulled your brownies out to cool before you begin your cream cheese mixture. You want it to stay kind of cool.

Add cream cheese, vanilla, cherry filling [not the cherries, though!] and powdered sugar into a large bowl and mix. Once all of the ingredients have been blended together, add the whipped cream and fold in. At this point, your brownies should be cooled enough to put the mixture on top. Smooth mixture around to create a nice surface.

Last but not least, add your whole cherries on top and dust with powdered sugar. For an added touch, add chocolate chips, too! This pie tastes best after being refrigerated for an hour or more.

Let's start all over, again.

In a little over a week, Aaron will be leaving to go to Air Assault school.
Which means that he will be eating MRE's daily while he's in the field.
No.Good.
Here's our menu for this week:

Chicken Tandoori with Steamed White Rice
Meaty Quesadillas with Guacamole dip and Chips
Fancy Grilled Cheese and French Fries
Fried Chicken Breasts with Mashed Potatoes and Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese
Potato Crusted Pork Chops with Pesto Sauce, CousCous and Green Beans


What are you all having this week?

Yummm :)

For a while, I was doing so good...planning my meals every week and actually STICKING to my plan.

And then I kind of fell off the bandwagon.
Last week we ate out FOUR times. Not cool. Ugh.
I've been so stressed with school, I didn't even want to [didn't really have time to] think about cooking, but at this point I'm tired of going out to eat.

I figured if I got back on track making out a meal plan, maybe I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed when dinner time comes along.

So, Here we go.
This week we are having:

Sun: Indian Spiced Chicken pitas w Tzatziki sauce & Hummus Dip
Mon: Country Style Ribs w Spiced Maple Apple Grill Sauce w Mac n Cheese & Cornbread
Tues: Orange Chicken with Garlic Soba Noodles
Weds: Braised Paprika Chicken w Rice
Thurs: French Dip Sandwiches

I'm also looking for new recipes, so if you have any that you absolutely love to make [or that are easy] send them my way! Thanks.