• Food

    Chicken Fried Quinoa

    I’ve been wanting to incorporate quinoa into my diet, but I was afraid because the last time I tried to make something with it the taste was awful.  I even soaked the quinoa before I cooked it and it still tasted like bug spray.  That was several years ago, and now there are a lot more options when it comes to quinoa.  Quite a few of them don’t require presoaking before cooking which is a huge win for me.  Tonight I decided to do chicken fried rice, but with quinoa instead, and guess what…it was SO SO yummy.  I will say, although I love me some cauliflower rice, I think I…

  • Food

    Summertime Avocado and Corn Salad

    I have a major addiction…to avocados.  Just about anything with avocados in the recipe, I will dive in head first no questions asked.  We go through 1-2 bags of avocados from Sam’s Club or Costco in a week.  I think we end up going through more avocado bags than gallons of milk.  So when a friend posted this recipe link on her facebook, I just had to run out and get all of the ingredients immediately.  SO YUMMY!  So satisfying, so easy!  I omitted the hard boiled eggs the first time I made it because I was going to be taking it to a Fourth of July BBQ and I didn’t want…

  • Food

    Chocolate PB Chia Seed Pudding

    I am not the most adventurous foodie.  It’s not that I’m afraid to try new things, it’s that I hate spending money on food that I end up not liking.  It’s perfectly acceptable to me for Mr. Man to purchase from the store or order a meal that is new and different and then I will try it.  I know, it’s super odd, especially since the money to pay for the food comes from the same place whether he purchased it or I did.  It’s just something I’ve always had a hard time overcoming. So for a long time, I pinned and oogled over various chia seed pudding recipes, but…

  • Family

    Gifts for Him-Father’s Day Ideas

    We all have someone special in our lives that is a father figure; whether it is your own father, a father-in-law, grandpa, husband, partner, coach, teacher…someone to look up to and give you advice and unconditional love.  With Father’s Day coming up this weekend, I wanted to share some of my picks for gifts.  And if the man/men in your life are just as difficult to shop for as my husband and dad; then this post will really come in handy.  While I am a little late in the game for posting, these gifts would be appropriate for any occasion. One of my most favorite gifts I gave Mr. Man…

  • Food

    Instapot Heart-Healthy Sweet and Sour Chicken

    Dad is beginning his 3rd week in the hospital.  He’s now in the cardiac rehab unit and learning all sorts of ways to function without putting pressure on his arms.  I had no inkling all that entailed recovering from a heart attack and bypass surgery.  TV and movies definitely gloss over the intense parts.  Not only his he recovering from double bypass surgery, he also has his sternum and ribs healing, as well as several incisions on his lower leg.  The ribs and sternum were sawed through so the surgeon could get to dad’s heart, and the leg incisions are from the surgeon searching for a viable vessel for the bypass. …

  • Food

    Heart Healthy Fried Cauliflower Rice

    My family has made a very conscious decision to begin a more heart-healthy lifestyle.  Mr. Man and the 4 amigos as well as my parents, siblings and their families; we’ve all decided it is time to make a permanent change together.  As I have been researching heart-healthy foods and recipes, I’ve noticed it isn’t as hard as I assumed it would be.  The recommendations from the American Heart Association as well as the CDC and Mayo Clinic all suggest low sodium, low-fat diet with complex carbs and plenty of fruits and vegetables.  For an individual who has hypertension, high cholesterol, and/or heart disease (especially if they’ve had a cardiac event) the…

  • Food

    Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

    Enchiladas are a family favorite…and I never make it exactly the same.  This time around I didn’t realize I was out of canned green chilis, but I did have mini sweet bell peppers so I roasted those in the oven as a substitute.  Turns out that was the best idea ever and I feel the need to share this version of the enchiladas.  Just like most of my recipes, they’ve evolved and become better over the years.  I learn tips and tricks and I experiment with the outcome.  Sometimes the end result is amazing, and sometimes it’s poo; but isn’t that what take-out pizza is for? The recipe starts with chicken,…

  • Food

    Best Snickerdoodle Cookies

    Bean, very clearly states on the regular, that he absolutely hates cookies.  I ask…what almost 10 years old, growing boy hates cookies????  So I have been on a mission to find a cookie he cannot deny.  The Six Sisters Disneyland Copycat Snickerdoodle Cookie recipe has been the winner every time.  It is hard to resist the sugar cookie goodness when it’s topped with cinnamon and sugar.  Somehow this cookie recipe puts a smile on Bean’s face every single time I start up the mixer and begin to whip the butter and sugar into oblivion.  These cookies are definitely a family favorite.  The Six Sisters hit it out of the park again! …