Category: Food

I was looking for a good potatoes and veggies meal and I came across this recipe from The Pioneer Woman for the “Best Breakfast Potatoes Ever”. And they don’t disappoint. I would be surprised if any of the food she made wasn’t delicious.

I have made this a number of times and I love it more every time. It’s really simple and you can add/eliminate anything you want. I’ll admit I add WAY too much food, but who cares if there are more peppers and onions mixed in? Chuck and I won’t complain.

You literally chop up the peppers, onions and potatoes, throw some butter, olive oil and seasonings in a bowl, mix, dump on a pan and throw it in the oven.

That was with purple potatoes, a small Yukon Gold potato (because it needed to be eaten), a red onion, two medium yellow onions and I think 4 small-ish bell peppers. That picture was before I put it all in the oven. It cooks for about 30 minutes. This was a HUGE batch so it didn’t get quite as browned/crispy as other, smaller batches have gotten, but there were no complaints.

Here is the meal after it is cooked. It doesn’t last long on my plate. Chuck likes to add cheese to his.

Back when we first started dating and neither of ate any vegetables, we used to make something similar on the stove top with chicken and potatoes. I commented to Chuck one night when we were eating this that I couldn’t believe we ate the chicken and potatoes meal before without peppers and onions. It just seemed wrong. He laughed and told me I had come a long way. He is right, and I am happy about that.

Definitely give this one a try. You won’t be disappointed!

These Quesadillas that I found on Pinterest are my new favorite go-to meal. The recipe made about 9 of them. I ate one and froze the others and I pull them out to have for lunch or dinner. They are so tasty and I’m usually disappointed that I only cooked one. Now I will be sure I keep my freezer stocked full of them.

The only changes I made were that I used slightly less than a full packet of seasoning. I don’t usually like a ton of taco seasoning. I also added a small amount of water to make everything stick together well.

If you’re looking for a tasty meal to have on hand, I highly recommend making them. Also drink them with a little ‘Rita of some kind if you have it. Yum!

I’ve been trying to broaden our food menu and try some new foods. We don’t usually eat much (if any) meat at home, so I have been trying to find some more vegetarian meals that we like. We had some friends over recently, I was in the mood for chili and I had just seen a friend post this yummy Quinoa Chili recipe and her family gave it rave reviews. I was sold!

The house was a little crazy with the kids running around and our guests, so I didn’t take any pictures while I was making it. But you really just throw everything in the pot and cook it up! (Well. You need to cook the quinoa first.) I was pleased it didn’t need to cook for a very long time (like some chilis do) and it was really easy to make. The recipe said to add the corn at the end, but I added it along with everything else since I used frozen corn. I also used petite diced tomatoes because I don’t care for large chunks of tomatoes. And I did add the lime and cilantro (the recipe says they are optional, but why leave them out!?)

The chili was a huge hit and we all went back for seconds, with our friends asking for the recipe. I’m always up for trying a recipe when it comes highly recommended from a friend. If you are looking for a meatless chili, that isn’t overly bean-filled, but will still make you full, try this one!

After four of us had seconds, I was still able to save some for leftovers and still had enough to freeze for another meal! Here’s a picture of the leftovers (when I remembered to take a picture of the meal).

I broke down and bought myself a SodaStream. I really don't like drinking water, but have come to like sparkling water. A friend of mine has one and raves about how much she loves it and uses it all the time. I must say, I'm hooked. I have started drinking more water than I normally do and it's just plain fun to make it!

If you're on the fence, I say go for it! I haven't tried the drink mixes that come with it because they are packed full of sugar. I have definitely found a new gadget I love, and I'm looking forward to trying some flavor conditions of my own with it!

(Also, I got the “Jet” and found the best price through Target with free shipping and 5% off with my redcard.)

I had a request or the recipe. Since I changed so much, I figured I should do a post to show how I made it.

I have to say that I'm not usually very good about finding a recipe and modifying it. Especially the first time. Usually, I would try a meal following the directions and then change it up the second time. I guess I was feeling daring.

HERE is the original recipe I found on Pinterest.

These are the changes I made:

1. Eliminated the chicken. I decided to make this a vegetarian meal.
2. Instead of adding two cans of cream of chicken soup, I made my own “cream of anything” soup mix that I also found on Pinterest. I used vegetable bouillon for the mix. Then added the recommended amounts of mix and water for two cans worth.
3. Used vegetable broth instead of water.
4. Added a can of pinto beans.
5. Added a bag of frozen peppers and onions.

The meal was really good and so very simple to make. I'm already counting down the days until I can make it again! This is definitely going to be a staple in my rotation of meals and I think you should try it, too.