Recent Posts

<strong>Parmesan Fish Sticks</strong>
January 14, 2023

Parmesan Fish Sticks

I won’t lie these take much more prep than commercial fish sticks you can buy at the grocery store, but they are much healthier and full of flavor.  I served these with air-fried zoodles with marinara sauce and a simple parmesan angel hair pasta for …

Entrees
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by Ashley
<strong>Healthy Banana Muffins</strong>
January 12, 2023

Healthy Banana Muffins

My family eats a lot of bananas; however, sometimes I buy too many bananas to use up in a week.  I had a bunch of ripe bananas just sitting on the counter and they were calling to me, so I decided to whip up a …

Breakfast
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by Ashley
<strong>Pesto pasta with chicken, peas, and snap peas</strong>
January 10, 2023

Pesto pasta with chicken, peas, and snap peas

If you need more green vegetables in your diet, then you absolutely must try this dinner.  I used chickpea pasta to reduce the carbs and even my kids gobbled this up. I made a nut free pesto due to my sons allergy, but normally I make a pistachio pesto that would work here too.

Ingredients:

Pesto-

2 cups basil

4 cups spinach

2 lemons juiced

¼ cup shredded parmesan

3 tablespoons basil pesto

Pasta-

1 chicken breast cubed

1 tablespoon basil olive oil

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 bag frozen peas

1 cup snap peas

4 garlic cloves

8 ounces chickpea rotini

Shredded/grated parmesan for topping

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Meanwhile drizzle olive oil and Italian seasoning over chicken. I grilled my chicken for 10 minutes stirring it a few times.
  3. Add basil, lemon, and spinach to a food processor.  Pulse to chop.  Add olive oil and parmesan cheese.
  4. Heat a large nonstick pan over medium low heat and cook peas, snap peas, and garlic.
  5. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  6. Add chicken, pasta, and pesto mixture to the peas and mix to combine.
  7. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.
  8. Enjoy!
Entrees
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by Ashley
<strong>BBQ Turkey and Veggie Meatloaf</strong>
January 8, 2023

BBQ Turkey and Veggie Meatloaf

If you are looking for a flavorful and healthy meatloaf, then I have the recipe for you.  This BBQ meatloaf features lean ground turkey, sautéed carrots, onions, and peppers, and an incredible mixture of seasonings.  I served this with roasted sweet potatoes and a parmesan …

Entrees
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by Ashley
<strong>Roasted Sweet Potatoes</strong>
January 8, 2023

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

When sweet potatoes are cooked properly, they taste amazing without any butter.  I have a sweet tooth so I do enjoy a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon on my sweet potatoes, but they honestly don’t need any extra sweetness. Ingredients: 1-3 sweet potatoes ½ – …

Sides/Salads
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by Ashley
<strong>Parmesan Ranch Zucchini Bake</strong>
January 8, 2023

Parmesan Ranch Zucchini Bake

This side dish is a breeze to prepare and is packed with flavor.

Ingredients:

2-3 medium zucchini sliced in ¼ inch slices

2 tablespoons Ranch seasoning

2 tablespoons whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan

Olive oil spray

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 7×7 of 8×8 baking dish with olive oil spray.
  2. Spread out zucchini in an even layer.  Sprinkle with ranch seasoning.
  3. Add a second layer of zucchini if needed and sprinkle with more seasoning.
  4. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the mixture and spray with olive oil spray.
Sides/Salads
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by Ashley
<strong>Baked Ham with Cherry Glaze</strong>
December 26, 2022

Baked Ham with Cherry Glaze

We often have ham on Christmas Eve.  I have made many different types of glazes and this one was a keeper for sure. Ingredients- Spiral ham (mine was 10 pounds) 1 can Black cherries pitted in cherry juice 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 …

Entrees
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by Ashley
<strong>Rice Krispie Coal</strong>
December 26, 2022

Rice Krispie Coal

Every year I make a version of coal for my kids before Christmas.  These treats were delicious! Ingredients: 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 cups marshmallows 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup Oreos crushed 5 cups Cocoa Krispies Black food coloring Directions:

Desserts
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by Ashley
<strong>Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Vanilla Sprinkled Frosting and Christmas Tree Pretzel Toppers</strong>
December 26, 2022

Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes with Vanilla Sprinkled Frosting and Christmas Tree Pretzel Toppers

I made these for my son’s Christmas party at his preschool and they were delicious!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes-

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup all purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup buttermilk

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips

¼ cup Andes Peppermint Chips

Frosting–

1 stick of butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup milk

2-4 tablespoons green colored sugar

3-4 cups confectioners sugar

¼ cup Andes Peppermint chips to sprinkle on top

Toppers-

12 pretzel sticks

Green candy melting chips

Sprinkles

Directions:

Cupcakes–

  1. Line 12-16 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  4. Add the buttermilk, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk together scraping the sides of the bowl.
  5. Add the chocolate chips and peppermint chips.
  6. Use a large cookie scooper to fill the muffin tins 2/3 full.
  7. Bake 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Let cupcakes cool on a wire rack.

Frosting–

  1. Cream butter in a stand mixer for 3 minutes.
  2. Add vanilla extract and gradually add in the powdered sugar and milk in small increments until you get the desired consistency.
  3. Add the colored sprinkles and mix in.
  4. Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with peppermint chips.

Toppers–

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Spread pretzel sticks out on the baking sheet.
  3. Melt the candy melts and quickly transfer to a piping bag.
  4. Pipe Christmas tree designs on each pretzel and immediately top with sprinkles.
  5. Let cool on the parchment paper.
  6. Top each cupcake with a Christmas tree.
  7. Enjoy!
Desserts
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by Ashley
<strong>Sweet Potato Pie with Graham Cracker Crust</strong>
December 26, 2022

Sweet Potato Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

My son requested sweet potato pie with our Christmas Eve dinner this year.  After researching several recipes I decided to combine a few to make this pie. Ingredients- Crust- 1 sleeve cinnamon graham crackers 2-3 tablespoons melted coconut oil Filling– 2 large sweet potatoes ½ …

Desserts
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by Ashley