Food Archives - Page 3 of 4

PB&J Smoothie

January 7, 2019 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food Leave a Comment

Peanut Butter & Jelly Smoothie--a yummy and filling meal in a cup (gluten/dairy/soy free!) | Sprinting Spoon

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a smoothie resurgence in winter time? I get the summer smoothie thing. It is hot. A nice, cold drink/meal is refreshing, but I find a lot of people still do smoothies in the winter.

In large part, I think this is due to health commitments/New Year’s resolutions, etc. that crop up this time of year. Smoothies have quite a bit of “health halo” to them (even though lots are just loaded with sugar).

Can I just be honest here? I do not like drinking my meals. I like to chew my food. You will not find me condoning meal replacement shakes over here. That sounds sad. And hungry.

But there are people who like this! There are even year-round smoothie drinkers!

Well, this smoothie? It has kinda changed my mind a little. It is yummy! It is filling! Because, sometimes, as much as you know you should sit down and enjoy a meal, you just have to get.stuff.done, and smoothies are handy.

keep reading for more deliciousness!

Thanksgiving Leftovers Fall Salad

November 19, 2018 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food 1 Comment

I am, admittedly, one of those oh-let’s-just-get-started-with-the-Christmas-music-already-it-is-October kind of people. I am crazy about Christmas! It needs SO much more than one month’s worth of celebration. It is so, so fun. BUT, let it be known!! I am in no way rushing through Fall in my mind!! In fact, the anticipation of Christmas is a very real part of “Fall-ness” in my head.

And I do also love Thanksgiving. It deserves it’s place, too, and part of that place is to say “Hey! Guess what? It’s almost Christmas!!”

Thanksgiving is great. It’s cozy and family-centered, and the food is fun and comforting. However, sometimes the food is a bit, shall we say, heavy? And sometimes it leaves us feeling not-so-great if we are of the gluten and dairy resistant type. (Pumpkin bread will be the death of me.) So, if you’re looking for a lightened up way to use up a few Thanksgiving leftovers (what do we do with all.that.turkey?!?!), please welcome, this salad. [Read more…]

Simple Sweet Potato Side Dish

November 16, 2018 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food Leave a Comment

So, my family? We are a sweet potato family. Our kids love ’em (more than regular white potatoes!). Our babies? They turn a twinge orange from all the sweet potatoes. Isla Jane is packing them away these days (We are already concerned about our grocery bill when they get to be teenagers because they.eat.so.much.food…and they are 3 and 8 months). Good news. Sweet potatoes are not pricey. Plus, we like to not eat grains all the time and avoid gluten most of the time, so sweet potatoes make a quick and easy side dish year round for us, really, but this time of year, especially!

It is the week before Thanksgiving and my “ice breaker” question for my students this week has been, “What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?” Sweet potatoes/yams have been mentioned…usually with the traditional marshmallows. (Why is that a thing? But it is…it’s like pie before pie…pre-pie?)

Anyway, if you’re looking to lighten up your Thanksgiving menu and want to keep the traditional foods around without all the excess sugar, try these sweet potatoes! [Read more…]

Weeknight Mexican Skillet

October 21, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food 2 Comments

I’m not really much of a shopper. I don’t really enjoy being out and about browsing through clothes and furniture and decorations and what have you. I mean, sometimes I do, but not very often. Usually I’d rather buy it online. In my pajamas. But, grocery shopping? I don’t necessarily love that either (other than shopping at Whole Foods…why do they make that store so much fun and make me want to buy everything?), but I haven’t converted to the apps and online shopping where you can enter your whole list of items and then have them delivered or just pull up to the curb and pick them up.

But, yeah, grocery shopping. Maybe I’m not overly tempted to buy all the shoes, but groceries? They’ve been a bit of a budget issue. I want to make gourmet meals, like, every night. Like I’ve mentioned before, cooking is a hobby for me and good food is an important part of my life. I can’t just eat bananas, rice, and beans or whatever. So, enter, the grocery budget. This has been a really helpful thing for me. Plus, I love that, by the end of the month, I need to be really creative with what I already have in my freezer, fridge, and pantry to make a yummy meal that doesn’t cost much (I still haven’t quite stretched my budget evenly through the month…working on that!).

Enter, the Weeknight Mexican Skillet. I made this meal near the very end of a month, and I was really pleased with where my pantry parameters led my creativity. This meal is fairly inexpensive and left us with a fair amount of leftovers (lunch tomorrow, anyone?). Oh, and it is made with real food. Quickly. These are a few of my favorite things… [Read more…]

Any Fruit Crisp

June 30, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food Leave a Comment

I love berries. Like, really love them. They are just about my favorite thing (maybe more than avocados???). When you are searching for things to love about your new home (Michigan) when you just really, really loved your old home (Colorado), berries make home a happier place. Because Colorado? I’m sorry, but your berry selection is lousy…and tasteless. Michigan, you are a far superior berry state. You have produced the most delicious strawberries and blueberries I have ever tasted. Hands down. So, thank you, Michigan. While I would prefer a humidity-free and mosquito-free beautiful, Colorado summer, your summer ain’t too bad either.

So, naturally, in the spirit of embracing all Michigan has to offer, Landon and I had to do a Michigan summer activity and go strawberry picking. Last year he was still crawling so strawberry picking was not so interesting, but this year he was ready for his own bucket to pick away. (Note, you can fill your box or bucket much faster if you don’t eat every other strawberry you pick, but come on. Who has that level of self-control?)

Now, this is funny. [Read more…]

Copycat Chipotle Guacamole

May 31, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food Leave a Comment

Do you love the guac at Chipotle? Looking to recreate it at home? Look no further! My copycat Chipotle guacamole is quick, easy, and only five, real food ingredients.

I am told that there are people that don’t like avocados. Like, they are really, truly out there in the world. Fact. I do not understand these people one bit. (I’m also realizing that this is a bit of a soapbox for me. I’ve rambled on this topic before…) I’m also realizing that I’ve got a lot of recipes on my blog involving avocados (like this one and this one).

Seriously, I think we might have a problem at our house (a really yummy, nutrient dense problem). How could something sooooo delicious, creamy, satisfying, and satiating be so good for you. It’s true folks. And we only have God to thank for it. You can just pick them off the tree in their absolute deliciousness. So, without further ado, here’s another avocado recipe for you–my copycat Chipotle guacamole. [Read more…]

Sweet Potato Hash

April 20, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food 3 Comments

In case you haven’t heard (you can “hear” right here), I am kinda’ all about breakfast. I just love it. And that also means I love a good brinner, at least once per week. (See recent brinner recipe here.) So, I’m happy to share another one of my favorite brinner recipes with you–Sweet Potato Hash. Yummy tex-mex flavors combine with all the deliciousness of breakfast (plus avocados, because I’m also slightly obsessed with those, too), and you have a seriously great brinner recipe that is filling and packed full of nutrients. Also, there is bacon. You’re welcome.

This is probably one of my husband’s favorite weeknight meals. He requests it. Often. He reminds me when I have not made it in a while. My son takes after his father. He lives for bacon. And eggs. And sweet potatoes. So, basically, everyone’s happy on hash night. [Read more…]

Avocado Black Bean Frittata

March 24, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food Leave a Comment

So, “Brinner” is a thing at our house…usually at least one time weekly. Some people may call it breakfast for dinner, but, really, who has time to say all that? Let me give you a few reasons why we love brinner so much:

1. We love eggs. Our family can easily eat three dozen eggs every single week. (There are only 2 adults and 1 tiny human in our family, so I think that is kind of a lot.) Eggs are extremely nutrient dense, cheap (even if you buy the pricey ones that are all free range and organic and clucking happily as they lay…for protein, they are an economical option!), and easy to prepare on a busy weeknight. Sometimes I work until 5:30 or 6 (as do lots of people), and so eggs are just a great way to get dinner on the table fast without any stress or forethought.

2. Brinner can be high protein/high fat/low carb without being pricey. I’ve found some pretty decent eggs at my local market that run me about $1/dozen. So, our fascination with eggs doesn’t break the bank. Hooray! Plus, if you’ve read anything else on here, you know how much I love fat! Do NOT throw those egg yolks away and just eat the whites (ick…so bland…)! So, with brinner we get a nice low carb dinner that keeps us on par with our budget.

(On a side note, wanna know what my child’s first food was after fermented cod liver oil? Egg yolk from a 4 minute boiled egg mixed with a bit of frozen raw beef liver and himalayan pink salt. Yep. Not even joking. The best part? He loved it! Maybe I’m not the only one who’s crazy… So, to say that we like our eggs around here is putting it mildly. He’s almost two now and he puts down two scrambled eggs every single morning…usually in about 30 seconds.)

3. I just freakin’ love breakfast. I am not one of those people that can just blend a smoothie in the morning and be good ’til lunch. Nope. Breakfast is a meal for me, and I could eat breakfast foods for all three meals probably…and sometimes I do! On the contrary, the Hubs is not a breakfast person at all. He’s more of the, “I’m just eating this because I know I should” kind of guy. But, he does love his eggs, too, so he’s really quite happy with the brinner thing. In fact, he gets excited when he gets home and sees it/smells it…normally it involves bacon…so, I mean, how does that not make you happy?

So, with all that being said, our brinner does not center around pancakes or waffles (although I do enjoy some alternative pancakes here and there for actual breakfast). Our brinner is centered around the good ol’ egg in various ways, shapes, and forms. [Read more…]

Double Chocolate Avocado Cookies

March 1, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food 2 Comments

I’ve mentioned in a few other posts that I really try to avoid gluten and most dairy for the sake of healthy thyroid function. But, you guys. This is a thing: I love cookies. They are my favorite treat. (I also really, really love ice cream, but I think I love cookies even more.) Cookies are just the best. My mom had me baking cookies with her probably just as soon as I could sit on the counter, and, well, not to toot my own horn or anything (toot, toot!), but I do know how to make a dang good cookie.

So what’s a girl to do? Make a gluten free cookie! Duh!! (Occasionally I do still make real deal chocolate chip cookies, but I can’t most of the time.)

Two days after I had Landon, two of my friends showed up with a whole big dinner for us and these ridiculous double chocolate cookies. I ate them. All. I don’t think the Hubs even had one. They were so comforting and kinda the best combination of chocolate, more chocolate, cookies and cake. I don’t even really like cake. After these cookies, I was willing to reconsider. So, I tracked down my friend and begged her for the recipe. And now I’m sharing it with all of you. [Read more…]

On Breaking Up with Frozen Pizzas/Delivery for Good

February 4, 2017 by Stacey Filed Under: Blog, Food Leave a Comment

You guys. I’m just gonna go ahead and do it. I’m sharing one of my biggest kitchen secrets in this post. My most highly requested recipe. The meal that I probably make for guests most often. The meal that I make every.single.dang.Friday.

Today, I give you my pizza recipe.

Today is not the day that I go all nice and gluten free. Today is not the day for all things paleo. Today is about pizza night, and that’s a topic we take rather seriously in our house. You see, we work pretty hard to be able to do whatever the heck we want on the weekends. I mean, burning the candle at both ends Monday through Thursday is totally worth it to me if I get to just have fun on the weekends. No weekend trips to the grocery store. No laundry. No cleaning. Even when I was working (ahem, before I became a stay-at-home mom and stopped getting paid for working), this was the case, and it’s how I like to keep it!

So, by Friday night, the Hubs and I are toast. We stay in. We wear yoga pants. We watch our current Netflix show or a movie. And we eat pizza. In fact, my husband has requested an email by noon on a Friday if for some strange reason we are not having pizza on a Friday night. He would be so disappointed, he needs half a day to wrap his mind around it. On Fridays, his coworkers leave wishing him a happy pizza night. It’s kinda a big deal for us. [Read more…]

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