Mac and cheese

OK so I have to start off by saying this mac and cheese is sooooo crazy good! My hubby loved it! This is so simple too!

Our ingredients:
1 cup elbow macaroni (regular or wheat)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 cups finely grated cheddar cheese

1. Set a pot of water to boil and when it boils salt it well.
2. Whisk milk, yogurt and soup until smooth.
3. Drain cooked noodles, return them to sauce pan and stir in wet mixture; stir in cheese until it melts.
4. Cook until it is heated through and until it starts to slightly thicken.

Hope y'all enjoy this! It has taken me a couple years to get this just right and it is sooo  good!

Chicken Pot Pie

We love chicken pot pie in our house! It is one of those comfort dishes that reminds me of my childhood.  As an adult I have made my own adjustment to the biscuit topped version my momma used to make.  As bad as I'm sure it is for us, we love our pot pie baked in pie crust.

You will need:
¤2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped up (I like to season mine with salt, pepper, and onion powder, then roast in the oven)
¤1/2 cup frozen peas
¤1/2 cup frozen corn
¤1 can of carrots
¤1 can of potatoes (I like to buy the whole ones and chop them up...I like the texture better)
¤pie crust(s) I buy refrigerated, because I do top and bottom and there are 2 to a package. Feel free to make your own if you wish.

Now you need something to bring all this together...
¤4 T butter
¤4 T flour
¤2 1/2 cups chicken stock-salted

First melt butter in a saucepan; add flour and stir to combine...it will look like paste. Let this cook for a minute or 2 so you don't get a raw flour taste. Add your chicken broth is slowly while stirring/whisking.   Stir often so the bottom doesn't burn. Will bubble and thicken and thats when you want to take it off the heat.

Toss your chicken and veggies into a mixing bowl and then pour the sauce over it. Stir to combine; add pepper and onion powder to taste. Line your pie plate with bottom crust then add your filling, then top with second pie crust. Brush the top with an egg wash and cut slits for the steam to escape.  Bake at °350 until the pie crust is golden brown and filling is starting to bubble through the slits in the top...this is normally 30-45 minutes. 

Enjoy!

PB2, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free, Microwave Cake

So it's been a few months since my last post, but we bought our first house and have been renovating like crazy!  As a matter of fact I just finished painting some trim in a bathroom.  I have been trying out all the different recipes for mug/microwave cakes and have been adapting them to try and make them somewhat healthier.  I saw a peanut butter one and noticed with 3 T of peanut butter that already is 300 calories right there!  In the past couple of months I have discovered PB2, which is powdered peanuts, sugar and salt.  So basically dry peanut butter with no oil and none of the nasty other things you might find in a jar of peanut butter.  If you want to use it on toast, a sandwich, you mix it 2 T of PB2 with 2 T of water.  You might think it's strange, and I did a little at first, but it's still tasty.  It's priced higher than normal peanut butter, but with PB2 you can have 2 T for 45 calories vs. 200+ in normal peanut butter....to me that is totally worth it!  Well I found this little microwave cake to be totally delish...hope you enjoy!

2 T brown rice flour

2 T almond flour

3-4 T PB2

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp Ener-G gluten-free egg replacer + 2 T water

2 T melted coconut oil

3 T warm water

1-2 T agave nectar

Combine the Egg Replacer and 2 T water together and set aside. Whisk the brown rice flour, almond flour, PB2, and baking powder together. Add in your Egg Replacer, melted coconut oil, warm water and agave nectar.  Spoon into microwaveable mug/ramiken and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 min....microwave power may vary.

*note* If you don't want to use Egg Replacer, use 1 egg, or another substitute equivalent to 1 egg.

Matthew 7:21-23

"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord', will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. On that day many will say to me 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them ' I never knew you; Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."

Chicken & Bacon Tart

So my friend Melanie brought this AMAZING pizza thing to our small group Christmas party.  We all loved it and wanted the recipe.  I made it for dinner last Friday night, and we have finished it off over the past three nights.  It is so good!!!! I don't think I can stress that part enough!  The combination of sweet and savory is amazing!  Well I hope if you endeavor to make this you will love it as much as we do!

Here is our ingredient list:
1/4 of a pound of bacon strips, cut into thirds...or crumbled up, whatever you prefer.
2 md. sized apples, thinly sliced...I used Honey-crisp, and I think they added an insane layer of flavor.
9 oz. of roasted chicken breast, cut up.
1/4 c. of orange marmalade jelly...I will admit I put more than that in.
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1 sheet frozen puff pastry that has been thawed
3/4 c. shredded cheddar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 T. minced fresh parsley..I omitted this, purely out of laziness.

1.Cook the bacon; when done, drain on paper towel and reserve about 3 T. of the bacon drippings.

2.In the drippings saute your apples until they are tender.

3.Stir in jelly and let it thin out a little, then stir in cooked chicken pieces, thyme and salt.

4.Unfold puff pastry and on a floured surface, roll to a 10x9-in rectangle; transfer to a 15x10-in baking        sheet lined with pastry mat or parchment paper and prick with a fork.

5.Spread chicken mixture over puff pastry to within 1-in of the sides.  Sprinkle with Cheese and pepper 

and bake for 10 min.

6.Add bacon and bake 5-10 min. longer or until golden brown around the edges. Sprinkle with parsley.

Enjoy! :)

Proverbs 2:2-6

Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight.  Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some some hidden treasure.  If you do, you will know what it means to fear the Lord and you will succeed in learning about God.  It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.  

Meatloaf

Well I am finally back to share another recipe!  Over the holidays we were so busy, I didn't have much time to record anything that I was cooking.  Today I want to share my meatloaf recipe with y'all.  I did not like meatloaf at all growing up, but now it's one of my favorite go to easy to make dinners.  The meatloaf that made me fall in love with the dish was my mother-in-laws, so I set out to recreate something close to the flavor of hers.  It's got great texture and is tender and soooo yummy!

........Meatloaf.......

1 lb. lean ground beef (I have also used turkey before)

2/3 c. milk

1 egg, beaten

1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1 c. bread crumbs

1/2 c. matchstick carrots, diced up (I find the "slap chop" is very helpful for this)

First I like to start off with a good quality ground beef...organic if possible and as lean as you can find. At this point go ahead and preheat your oven to 350.

In a large bowl add your breadcrumbs, diced carrots and soup mix.

Next add in your ground beef, milk, and egg.  Mix it all together really well with your hands.  Be careful not to over mix it, because that would not make for a very yummy result.

Next, start the sauce for the meatloaf. You will need:

1/2 c. ketchup

3 T. brown sugar

3 T. mustard

Whisk together in a small bowl until smooth.  My husband likes his meatloaf very saucy, so this may seem like too much.  If you don't like it quite as saucy, just half the ingredient amounts.

Line a baking pan with tin foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. (If you would rather you could also spray a 8x8 baking dish.) Form a loaf shape on your pan.

Once you have done this part, you just want to basically slather it all over with your sauce mixture.

Pop in the oven and bake for 35 min, then take it out slather again with the rest of your sauce, and continue baking for 15 min.  

Enjoy! :)

Psalms 6:4

Come and save me, Lord; in your mercy rescue me from death.

Chili

Now that the weather is cooling, it is the perfect time for chili.  This is one of my fall/winter favorites!  My mom taught me how to make chili, so this is essentially her recipe with me making my own adjustments.  I went from only wanting meat in my chili to loving to load it up with veggies and beans.  Chili is a great meal for the cold days, that is filling, but not really bad for you.  This is also incredibly simple!

What you will need for this Chili:

1 lb. ground turkey

2 15.5 oz cans chili beans, any kind

3 14.5 oz cans Del Monte Zesty Chili Style Diced Tomatoes (they have great flavor)

1 c. diced onion ( I usually buy a package of pre-diced onions.. It's easier)

1 small green bell pepper

1 small red bell pepper

First brown your ground turkey.  While it is browning, dice your bell peppers.  Now, I use my crock pot for this, but you can certainly do it on the stove top if you want.  In your crock pot dump your chili beans, tomatoes, onions and peppers.  Stir to combine.  Once your turkey is done browning, drain and add it to the pot.  If will be a bit thick, but as everything cooks down, it will produce more liquid.  Cook on low for about 4 hours.  It will be bubbling and your house will smell divine.  If you decide to make this on the stove top, just cook until everything is heated through--simmering about 45 min.

Happy Cooking! Enjoy!
Stephanie :)

By now God's way of putting people right with himself has been revealed.  It has nothing to do with law, even though the Law of Moses and the prophets gave their witness to it.  God puts people right through their faith in Jesus Christ. God does this to all who believe in Christ, because there is no difference at all: everyone has sinned and is far away from God's saving presence.  But by the free gift of God's grace all are put right with him through Christ Jesus, who sets them free.  God Offered him, so that by his blood he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him.
-Romans 3:21-25 (the good news translation)

Spinach Smoothie

You are probably thinking "Spinach smoothie? Has she lost her mind?!"  No I have not.  I hate eating spinach, really any kind of leafy texture grosses me out.  I don't love to eat salads, so I decided to blend up my salad.  By adding in some fruit, you don't taste spinach, but still get all the great health benefits of the spinach.

What you need:
1 c. fresh spinach
1 c. almond milk
1 (heaping) c. frozen strawberries (unsweetened)
1 banana

Start by blending the almond milk, spinach and banana together until you can no longer see any specs of spinach and the mixture is a bright green color.  Next add your strawberries and blend on high until they are broken down.  The mixture will be a dark purple color. By using frozen strawberries there is no need to add ice.  Occasionally I will also add some ground flax meal for some added health benefits.

Enjoy!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  Never rely on what you think you know.  Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.
Proverbs 3:5&6 (GNT)