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Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole
My children have all gone through picky eater stages. Some lasted longer than others, but inevitably, I’ve pretty much forced them out of the pickiness. I decided a long, LONG time ago I would not be a tall-order chef (unless I had a child who had food intolerances or some sort of chronic illness that required a special diet). Believe me, my twins were SO terrible with trying new foods they would throw up just looking at a new food they thought they wouldn’t like. I KNOW the picky factor. In fact my twins ended up going through occupational therapy to help them overcome their food aversion. Keegs gag reflex…
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Creamy Pesto Alfredo Pasta
Contains affiliate links Pasta is definitely one of my easy go-to’s for dinner. Typically I whip out the premade meatballs and marinara or frozen cheesy tortellini, but occasionally I make a quick homemade sauce, especially when I can do the sauce in less than 10 minutes, requires no cooking, and can be thrown into the blender. And…pesto is one of those sauces. Pesto, do you know what pesto is? It is the Italian green sauce. It is fresh herbs and spices and is typically served over pasta, but is also extremely tasty on toasted Italian bread. While you can use typical pasta, I have been loving Banza pasta lately. It…
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Meatless Tex-Mex Bowls
While I am a carnivore at heart, I do love a good meatless meal. The American Heart Association’s recommendations with meat, poultry, and, eggs are 8-9 servings a week. If you are eating 3 square meals daily, then you have to go without meat or animal proteins for more than half of your meals to have a well-balanced diet. If you consume a breakfast burrito one morning that has both eggs and sausage, that is 2 servings of animal protein and you’ve already eaten 1/4 of your weekly recommended animal protein intake. The science behind this is that animal proteins tend to be higher in saturated fats, which is one…
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Copy Cat Noodles & Co. Wisconsin Mac’n’Cheese
The first time I tried Noodles & Co.’s Wisconsin Mac’n’Cheese, I was living in Colorado Springs. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Unfortunately, Noodles & Co. is not yet a restaurant that is found nationwide. So, like many other foods I have fallen in love with and then moving away from, I had to figure out how to make this. AND…since my children have inherited the love of cheese and noodles, of course, I had to recreate this recipe for myself. ALSO…did you know that I have family from Wisconsin? And my Great Uncle had a cattle farm in northern Illinois that would occasionally send milk and…
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Breakfast Hash & Fried Eggs
Breakfast for dinner is a staple in this household. We have breakfast for dinner at least once or twice a week. Half of the family loves sweet and doughy breakfasts like waffles and pancakes, while the other half goes for savory meals. I’m smack dab in the middle. Sometimes I am feeling Belgium waffles and other times I want a really flavorful breakfast hash. Breakfast hash is actually super quick and easy to make. It is something I live off of whenever Matthew is gone with work. I’ll eat breakfast hash for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus you can make a Mexican spin on it (which is my favorite) or…
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Mexican Corn Chowder
Right now, the weather has decided to warm up enough to feel like spring…but in the 8 years I’ve lived in Las Vegas, that is rather typical. Winter lasts for approximately a month, or what we natives (or transplanted natives-2 of my kids were born here) call winter. Then usually toward the end of January, we hit 50°F-60°F weather. It is glorious and at the same time depressing…knowing that just around the corner is triple-digit weather. Even though it is the perfect park-playing weather, we are still savoring every moment it is cool enough to consume soup. My kiddos especially love corn chowder, but this time I decided to put…
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Oven Roasted Tri-Tip
Tri-Tip wasn’t even on my radar until we lived in Central CA over a decade ago. I grew up mostly in the Midwest and only knew of the traditional cuts of beef…But when we lived close to Santa Maria and had the Santa Maria Tri-Tip, I just about died and went to heaven. I started preparing Tri-Tip for Christmas dinner each year. Sometimes I’d pair it with shrimp or crab legs and do a surf-and-turf dinner. Mostly the Tri-Tip was the star though. This last Christmas, I finally feel like I’ve perfected the oven-roasted Tri-Tip. I even impressed my mom, who is a Prime Rib lover, hardcore. This version of…
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Instapot French Dip Sandwiches
When two individuals decide to make a life together, they pick and chose what to bring to the relationship. Sometimes it’s who’s knife set is better and who’s needs to be donated. Other times it’s which traditions are maintained. In the case of my marriage, French dip sandwiches are one such tradition. Growing up Matthew’s family would always have French dip sandwiches on Christmas Eve. When we had our first Christmas together with his family, I was introduced to this tradition. I am a little ashamed to say, that I had never experienced this wonderful, tasty food before. Since that first Christmas Eve, French dip has been on regular rotation…
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Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup—aka: Homemade Spaghetti-os
I have a tumultuous relationship with tomatoes…I want to love them, but in fact, I cannot stand them! I don’t know if it is texture, or it could be I have some PTSD from my childhood when my parents would can stewed tomatoes in the fall and it was one of the worst smells I’ve ever encountered. The smell was SO potent that my hair and clothes smelled like stewed tomatoes and inevitably some kid at school would comment on the smell. That being said, tomatoes are gorgeous! The vibrant color, the smooth texture of the skin. Heirloom tomatoes are my favorite, there is just something about their ugliness that…
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Easy Chicken Enchiladas
My family absolutely loves Mexican food. We have to have at least one dinner a week that is some sort of Hispanic recipe. I am also super blessed to have a couple of best friends who are Hispanic and amazing at cooking. So I have learned a thing or two from them. My enchilada recipe is easily in the top 5 favorites with my boys. This recipe also makes for a great freezer meal. Do you have any amazing enchilada recipes that you love? Hope y’all have an amazing week!
