More Yummy Recipes

I made some amazing food last week!  I've been trying to use all of the cans in my pantry before we move.  It's called for me to be a bit creative in the kitchen which is something new for me.  Here's a few of the yummy dishes I came up with (or found on Pinterest):

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings/Chicken Pot Pie-  I found a few recipes online and ended up mixing a few.  It's super simple and REALLY good.  I used this recipe as inspiration but didn't use the butter and added mushrooms and a can of mixed veggies (corn, carrots, peas).

Pumpkin Muffins-  I made them twice this week.  The first time was to use the can of pumpkin and cake mix in the pantry and I got many request to make them again for Friday Treats at work.  Everyone was asking for the recipe and couldn't believe that it is just a can of pumpkin, a box of dried cake mix, and 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips.  So easy and SO good!

Pepper Jelly Chicken-  I was inspired for this dish by something I got at Time for Dinner.  I mixed a jar of pepper jelly with low-fat cream cheese.  Mike pounded chicken breasts really flat and I spread the jelly/cheese mixture on each one, rolled them, and stuck toothpicks in so they would stay.  We baked them at 450 for 25 minutes.  Yum.  (I also made my favorite stuffed mushrooms!)

Fish Tacos- I'm always looking for ways to eat fish tacos.  I wasn't super crazy about what I did last time.  I baked the tilapia with taco seasoning on it.  I made guacamole and a yummy spicy sauce (greek yogurt, light mayo, and buffalo sauce).  We added the usual taco toppings (tomatoes, cheese, and lettuce) and it was pretty darn good. 

I'm always open to new, healthy-ish recipes.  If you have tried anything new lately, link it in the comments.  Thanks!

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Yummy Pinterest Finds

I'm always on the look out for new crockpot recipes.  They need to be easy and "healthy".  We have tried a few really good ones lately so I thought I'd share!

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas-  Super easy and really good!  We love fajitas and honestly, they aren't hard to begin with.  But it was awesome to be able to cut up the peppers and onions on Sunday and put it all in the crockpot on Monday morning.  I didn't think ahead enough to thaw the chicken and cut it into strips so I ended up putting it in frozen. 

Crockpot Chicken Marsala-  I had a bunch of portobello mushrooms that I needed to use and this recipe was perfect.  Again, I'm lazy and didn't thaw and cut the chicken ahead of time.  That means that I ended up with a lot of chunky and shredding chicken pieces.  Still yummy though!  I served the chicken over whole-wheat angel hair pasta.  Only thing I would change is to double the sauce.

Crockpot Turkey Meatballs- Easy and great!  These are from my favorite website, SkinnyTaste.  You can eat them alone with sauce and cheese or over pasta.

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas- Ok, this isn't a crockpot recipe but it was really simple.  I prepared it the night before and put it in the fridge overnight.  When I got home, I popped it in the oven and it was DELISH!  I added a can of corn and a can of black beans.  YUM!  I also made this for a friend that was sick and unable to cook so it is a great "casserole-type" dish to bring to friends that are new moms, too.

Those are my latest Pinterest finds.  Please link any recipes that you are digging right now, too!  Thanks!

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I'm a cooking fool!

Thanks to Pinterest and being home this summer, I've been able to try out some new, awesome recipes.  I found a few online and made up some on my own.

I'm on a roll lately and I'm sure if you follow me on Instagram, you are probably sick of seeing my food. 

1.  Knock-off egg McMuffins- (found these on Pinterest)  Super easy and better for you than fast food.  These are REALLY good...Mike says they are better than the real thing.  I definitely plan to make another batch when I'm back to work in August.

2.  Time for Dinner's Buffalo Turkey Burgers, Edamame Quinoa, and grilled corn on the cob-  We are huge Time for Dinner fans and these have been in our freezer for quite a while.  They were so delicious on a sandwich thin, lettuce, tomato, and ranch greek yogurt spread (just add some dry ranch to a container of yogurt...yum).  The quinoa was totally easy and really good!  I boiled the quinoa in chicken broth and added the shelled edamame after it simmered for 20 minutes.  Just follow the directions on the bag for quinoa.  Mike made a spicy butter for the corn and it was great...just cayenne pepper mixed into the butter.

3.  Tilapia fish tacos-  For the fish, I used frozen Tilapia that I had in the freezer from Sam's.  I rubbed taco seasoning on top of 6 filets (Mia ended up eating one...grr) and followed the cooking directions on the back of the bag.  I made guacamole slaw by blending 2 avocados with a small tub of greek yogurt.  When it was smooth, I stirred in cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and minced onions and 1/2 of a bag of organic broccoli slaw from Trader Joe's. 

                                                      

I chopped some tomatoes and a lime, shredded the fish, and rolled it up in a Trader Joe's corn tortilla.  (Make sure to follow the directions and heat the corn tortilla before eating.  They aren't good if you don't follow those directions.)  I was so proud of myself for just making this up myself :)

4.  Homemade Hawaiian Pizza-  For about a dollar or so, you can buy Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza crust.  I just followed the directions on the back of the bag and added my favorite toppings to make a Hawaiian pizza (sauce, pineapple, Canadian bacon, and cheese).  Honestly, it wasn't the BEST pizza I've ever had...it was pretty bland.  I think next time, I'll try to make the crust thinner and add some garlic and more seasoning to get more flavor.

                                                  

So that's what I've been up to lately!  Just cooking away as little Suzi Homemaker :)  Have a fantastic weekend and STAY COOL! (I heard it's supposed to be a high around 110 degrees tomorrow in St. Louis!  YIKES!)

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Pinterest Love and Fails

I love Pinterest, plain and simple.  I love looking at photography, fashion, recipes, and craft projects.  I'm not very creative but I have a great appreciation for beautiful and creative things.

Whenever I pin something, I always want to know if it really is as easy as it seems.  Is the food actually good?  Have someone actually tried making/doing/cooking this?

I thought I'd go through some of the successes and failures I've had at making things from Pinterest.

Pepperoni Roll-ups- SO GOOD!  Brought them to a party and friends ate them right up.  I served them with a marinara sauce.  I made a "skinny" version with lowfat crescent rolls, light string cheese, and turkey pepperoni.

I love you because...frame- I already had the frame and stickers.  I just ran up to Hobby Lobby for a nice, yellow damask paper and a dry erase marker and that was it.  It is really nice to pass this back and forth and write things that we appreciate about each other but don't say on a daily basis.  Below is my Mother's Day message...



Holiday baby pictures- There are always so many cute pictures of babies around the holidays.  Here are the ideas I found on Pinterest and did with Ethan.

              

Baby hand print ornament- FAIL.  We tried to just do red paint on a clear ornament in December and it was a mess.  Ethan was only 6 months old and just wasn't having it.  We tried awake, we tried sleeping.  Nope.  Might try again this year.  We will see...

Popcorn cupcakes-  I got a couple of comments on these so I knew I would include them.  These were super easy.  I bought the cupcake collars from Oriental Trading and regular cake mixes for the cupcakes.  We iced the cupcakes with white icing and took a handful of marshmallows for the topping.  It was so easy to just "dip" the cupcakes into the palm of a hand full of marshmallows.  Easy peasy and super cute!  (My DH did make little labels and we had to tape the cuffs shut.  They kept popping open.)

Spray painting the highchair- Young House Love did a post on spray painting an old high chair and I immediately knew this would be happening for Ethan's party.  I was surprised when my mom willingly let me spray our old highchair from when I was a baby.  We followed the directions from the post and also used this post from Bower Power and one I found on Pinterest.  I was so happy with how it turned out and it wasn't too hard.  My husband actually did it in the yard.  He didn't sand it beforehand and he used grey primer.  He did sand a few drips and had to go to the store for more primer and color spray.  Get more than you think you will need!

I also got the idea of the hot dog bar, goldfish bags, and favors from Pinterest too!




Crockpot Buffalo Chicken-  YUM YUM YUMMMM!  Made this last night and it was so good and super easy.  3 ingredients:  frozen chicken, bottle of Frank's buffalo sauce, and 1 dry ranch packet.  I made it "skinny" by not adding butter and putting it on a Sandwich Thin.  We actually did put a bit of Greek Yogurt in the bun for a "ranch" taste.  (pic below is from the original Pinterest blog post).

Those are my favorite things from Pinterest right now.  What are yours?  I love to try things out that I KNOW have been tested by someone and recommended.  Baby is up from naptime!  See ya!

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