Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

Are y’all having Corned Beef and Cabbage? I guess one of these days I should try it. I was going to this year and then just never got around to it! I mentioned last week that we eat Hamburger Gravy and dye it green for St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe one day if I can figure out a way to get a good picture of it I will make that for the blog too! 

I thought I would share another green dish with everyone today. In case you aren’t into Corned Beef either. We tried this great recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup. It was SOOOO good too! Creamy and Rich and just DELISH!

Surprisingly the Hubster liked it too! I was a little worried since it was a vegetarian meal.

You can get the recipe Here.

Enjoy

Seasonal Eating: Mango Peach Smoothie

This year is going by so quickly we are already a third of the way into it! Hard to believe right? I wonder if it’s just because we are getting older that time seems to go by so fast or if it’s just because of how busy our lives have gotten? I know we seem to be busier and busier every time I turn around! It’s almost Baseball season here too so that’ll mean we will be ever busier! We get a little break between football season and baseball season since those are the only 2 sports that Man-Child really plays. Which is kind of nice. Sometimes I wonder how Moms and Dads do it when their kids play every sport! I think it was back when Man-Child was in 5^th grade that he did Football, Basketball and then Baseball, I was wiped out! It felt like we were always on a field or in a gym that year. It’s kind of nice that he plays School sports now, and the practices are after school, frees up a little more time for me!

So here we are in March and that means it’s time to check in and see what fruits and vegies are in season right now! As you can probably guess its slim picking this time of year. Only 2 fruits and 2 vegetables are actually in season right now.

Lettuce and Broccoli are the vegetables and Pineapple and Mango are the fruits. I decided to focus on the fruits this time and decided to make a smoothie. I used fresh Mango, frozen peaches and bananas. It's really refreshing, and light tastes a little like Summer to me!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 cup Sliced Peaches, frozen

1 cup Mango, cut up

1 Banana, frozen

1 cup Water

Here’s how you make it:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until everything is well mixed and smooth. Pour into a glass and Serve.

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day: Un-decorated

So I really like St. Patrick’s Day, we always wear green and have green foods and drinks. We don’t typically eat Corned Beef and Cabbage, I actually usually make Hamburger Gravy and put green food coloring in it! Which while it is festive and delicious it doesn’t necessarily look appetizing especially not leftover! But it’s our Family tradition that my Mom started I don’t even know how long ago because she doesn’t like Corned Beef!

Anyways, since the Hubster built our Mantle I’ve been trying to decorate it. It’s not that hard when it comes to the everyday, I have lots of things to put up there! But when it comes to a Holiday besides Christmas, I’ve been having a hard time decorating it. Maybe it’s because I don’t really decorate much for anything besides Christmas, Easter, and Fall/Halloween?! My post today was supposed to be a festive St. Patrick’s Day Mantle. But I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to put up there. Also I didn’t want to spend a ton of $$. And DIY décor was leaving me stumped! So my mantle isn’t decorated and St. Patrick’s Day is next week which means it isn’t going to be decorated! I just thought I would share this today! A glimpse into our not so perfect life!

Do you decorate for every Holiday? If so what’s your favorite!?

Maybe I’ll have better LUCK with Easter!

Enjoy!

Tamale Pie

It’s that time of year when I want easy comfort food. Day light savings has just started and since we lost an hour of sleep I feel like I’m in zombie mode?! I love the extra day light in the evenings and for me it means one step closer to Summer so I’m not mad at it, just need a few days to get used to it. But I still want to provide a healthy satisfying dinner for my guys every night.

Tamale Pie fits that bill for me. It’s pretty simple and yet totally filling at the same time. My Mom used to make this for us and while this isn’t her exact recipe, only because I didn’t call her and ask for it this time I just made it as I went. It’s pretty close in flavor to me.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Filling:

1lb Hamburger

2 cans tomato sauce

2tsp Diced Dried Onions (or ½ fresh onion, diced)

3TBSP Chili Powder

1TBSP Adobo Seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 can Black Beans

1 cup Frozen Corn

1 can (14oz) Olives (we were out and I really wish I had remembered to get them)

Topping:

¾ cups Corn Meal

1 ¼ cups Flour

¼ cup Sugar

½ tsp Salt

1 cup Milk

1 Egg

¼ cup Vegetable Oil

½ cup Shredded Cheese (save for the end)

Here’s how you make it:

In a skillet over medium heat, brown the Hamburger and onions, add in the Tomato Sauce, Chili Powder, Adobo Seasoning, Salt and Pepper. Let cook for about 10 minutes then add in the corn, beans and olives. Let cook another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients for the topping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the Filling into a deep baking dish. Then pour the Topping over covering the filling completely.

Bake for 15 minutes then top with the Cheese. Finish baking for another 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Healthy Desserts: Energy Bites

In my never ending quest to find a sweet treat that is not only good for you but tastes good as well, I found a bunch of recipes for energy bites. I'd had a version of these before, but I'd never made them myself. All I can say is YUM! Really these are super simple to make as well! Most of it is stuff that you probably already have in your Pantry. The other great thing about this recipe is that it is completely customizable to you and your families tastes.

They are great because they only have about 200 calories and they give you 5 grams of protein, per serving. A serving size is 2 Bites and the recipe makes about 24 Bites.

You can add different things to up the health factor like chia and flax seeds, use different nut butters to change the flavor up, or add in dried fruits to give it a little something extra! Whatever you like really can go in these.

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup Oats

1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/3 cup Honey

1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (I used Mini Chips)

1TBSP Chia Seeds

1tsp Vanilla

Here's how you make it:

Combine everything in a mixing bowl until all the ingredients are incorporated. Let cool for 30 minutes. The scoop out and roll into 1 inch balls. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Homemade Shower Cleaner

I really struggle with keeping the showers looking great. Well ok lets be honest for just a second I struggle with all things House keeping related. I just do, it is well, it is what it is. I love a clean house, I love organized spaces, however its the getting to clean and the staying organzied that I struggle with. But this is one idea I think I can keep up with.
It's a simple idea. Spray your shower or bath with a cleaning solution after every use. Easy right? I wanted to to use a cleaner that was going to work and be gentle enough to use every day on the tile and grout.

I decided to use a cleaner that I made, equal parts vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. With a few drops of Dawn Dish soap in each bottle. You could also add a few drops of essential oil if you want to cover up the vinegar scent. Before spraying just shake the bottle a little. Spray over the walls as you finish your shower. And it should keep your showers fresh and clean!

Enjoy!

Ranch Crackers

Growing up the Hubsters family would always make these Ranch Crackers. They would make great big tubs full of them. Which I mean they had to with 2 growing boys in the house. The Hubsters Mom always jokes that when his older brother left home she thought they would save money but actually ended up spending more just to feed him! Which I totally believe that man has a hollow leg for sure! And now that we are raising a teenage boy I find myself wondering where all the groceries always go. I fondly remember the days when Man-Child and I would share meals when we went out, not anymore!

These crackers are a great simple inexpensive snack to keep on hand.

Here's what you'll need:

1 pkg Oyster Crackers

1 Ranch Seasoning Packet

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Here's how you make it:

In a large bowl (that has a lid) combine all the ingredients. Place the lid on top and shake the bowl to get all the seasonings to cover all the crackers. Let sit for about an hour. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

Enjoy