Thursday, March 28, 2013

Jell-O Cookies

You might be thinking what in the world are Jello Cookies? Haha don’t worry they aren’t Jell-O jigglers. They are soft cookies with Jell-O mix in them that give them a fun pop of flavor! I think these cookies are great for spring time. Especially because you can make them any color you want depending on what flavor of Jell-O you use. Added bonus you can also make these into any flavor you desire and you can change up the intensity of the flavor depending on how much mix you add! Lime is my top favorite but today I had some extra strawberry Jell-O so that is what we made.
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What you need:
1/2 Cup Oil (I used canola)
1/4 Cup Applesauce (Or 1 egg)
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Baking Powder (If using 1 egg only use 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
2 1/3 Cups Flour
1 Package Jello Mix (1.5 oz)
3 Tbsp Almond Milk (Any milk will work)
1/3 Cup Sugar for rolling dough in

Pre-Heat Oven to 350. Mix everything in a bowl. Roll into 1 inch balls and dip/roll in the sugar. Place on baking sheet and bake for 9 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for about 10 minutes to set up a little more.

Tips from Kj:
Like I said you can use ANY flavor of jello. When I made these I only had 1/2 of a package so my cookies had just a hint of strawberry flavor and they are so good. I also love it when the flavor pops so normally I use a whole package…but just the 1.5oz!)

These cookies spread while baking and get kinda flat but DON’T WORRY. They are so yummy still! If you love a large flat cookie you can make the balls bigger but I like to make them smaller because of the spreading factor. Either way they are so good! Sometimes thin cookies are yummy because the center is soft but then you have a little crisp on the edges. Pin It

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Streusel Topped Banana Muffins

I love breakfast. It is awesome. Sugary Cereals, Waffles covered in syrup and whipped cream, crepes filled with strawberries and chocolate syrup, pancakes with peanut butter and jelly on them, cinnamon toast and….I could go on and on and on. It is one of my favorite meals of the day. I also like having it for dinner. Yum!

When I was dating Mark I thought I knew pretty much everything about him. Then we got married. And I learned he doesn’t really like BREAKFAST!!! He hardly ever eats anything in the morning…sometimes waiting all the way until 12 to eat anything. Aka Lunch. What? On top of that he especially doesn’t like it for dinner…Double What? I was crushed. “I thought I knew you!” I yelled at him. “I can’t believe you deceived me!” (Okay really I DID NOT yell those things. haha) But I couldn’t believe he didn’t love one of my favorite meals of the day. I have now made it my mission to get him to eat breakfast at least 4/7 days a week. It is hard people but it makes me feel better knowing he is eating in the morning (I literally feel anxious about the fact that he doesn’t) So I try to come up with irresistible things for him to eat. I finally made these:

Cupookies Streusel Topped BananaMuffins

For the muffins you need:

2 Cups Flour
3/4 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Almond Milk
2 Cups Mashed Bananas
1/4 Cup Oil
2 Tbsp Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix together in bowl. No rhyme or reason required. Just toss it in and mix! Then make this:

Streusel Topping:

1 Cup Oats
1/3 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/8 tsp. Baking Soda
3 Tablespoons Butter

Put muffin batter in cupcake liners or just spray your muffin pan before pouring the batter in. Then sprinkle streusel topping all over the tops of the muffins.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tips from Kj:

Double Streusel topping anyone? I like to make a little extra topping and really smother those babies! The topping is SO GOOD I could eat it plain. (Who am I  kidding? I do. It makes me happy.)

Best served warm with some butter. Yum!

You can also make this into bread. Just put it in a loaf pan, cover with topping and bake at 350 for about 1 hour.

Also in case anyone was wondering. Now that I have a baby boy I plan on having many breakfast for dinner nights with him. Mark can go get fast food or something but we are having waffles!! haha Pin It

Friday, March 22, 2013

BBQ Crock Pot Shredded Chicken

So on St. Patty’s we made corned beef and cabbage. And I thought to myself, “Why don’t I use the crockpot more?!” Then I reminded myself that we are on a college student budget so while I’d love to buy roasts and hams and stuff I can’t. But then I started doing some looking and my impressions of crock pot cooking are way off! You can make so many things in a crock pot.

I was talking to my sister in law swapping dinner ideas and she reminded me of a crock pot recipe she likes where you take bbq sauce and pineapple and chicken and put it in the pot. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!! . I decided that was going to be on our meal plan for the week. I stuck it in the crock pot on high for 6 hours. When we went to take it out the chicken was shredding amazingly when we picked it up so we decided to shred it and then I decided to add a few things to give the flavor a little more of a kick! This was the BEST shredded BBQ chicken in the entire world. We had it on rice, we had it on sandwiches, we had it cold, warm, in-between and we were licking our fingers when we were done! If you google this there are TONS of posts with the bbq sauce, pineapple, chicken crock pot meal and they will all be delicious. But keep reading!! Mine has some secret ingredients that make it even MORE delicious and they are all things you probably have in your kitchen anyway!

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You need:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 20oz can crushed pineapple
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Mix Barbecue Sauce and Crushed Pineapple in crock pot. Add Chicken breasts and all other ingredients-except for the brown sugar-and cook on high for 5 hours.

Open the crock pot and shred the chicken. Add the brown sugar. Mix together and leave in for 1 more hour. Then you are ready to serve!

Tips from Kj:

Really use CRUSHED pineapple! Don’t substitute for chunks the crushed makes it so saucy and delicious.
Serve this on Rice
Serve this on Sandwiches
Eat this plain out of the crock pot with a fork
Feed it to your baby…he will devour it!

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

Fiesta Burgers

We love burgers. I probably say that every time I make burgers. And actually I probably should say “I love burgers”. Mainly because I think I like them the most. I love making burger creations with baked potato fries. Right now sweet potato fries are trending in our home. Yum. A while ago we made black bean burgers. All black bean. All delicious. I decided to try a spin on that but using ground beef in the burgers.
These turned out to be juicy and delicious and had a great flavor! Plus it was a fun surprise when you tasted the tortilla chips in the burger. I am excited to make these again!
fiesta burgers
You need:
1/2 Cup Salsa
1 Cup Black Beans
1 Cup Crushed Tortilla Chips
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 lb ground beef
Mix together and make into patties. Because of the beans we were able to get 5 burgers. Normally I make 4 burgers with 1 lb of beef.
We used our George Foreman grill to make these. (I dream of the day we will have a real grill….for now we love our George) You could also fry them in a skillet or on a griddle pan if you don’t have a way to grill them.
Tips from Kj:
Serve these with sweet potato fries seasoned with taco seasoning! So good!
These would also be great with corn in them.
We didn’t have any buns but this is what my burger looked like:
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Harpers Homemade White Bread (Allergy Free!) Avocado and Barbecue Sauce! Let me tell you. If I could have had cheese you would have seen a big melty piece right on top of that burger! This summer baby…my burgers will have cheese again and I will have completed 8 of the greatest months I could have had serving my little baby boy so he could be the happy bundle of joy he is each day. I am telling you people. It is true what they say that the more you serve others the more you love them…I think it is because you see them so HAPPY! And who doesn’t love a happy person? :) Pin It

Friday, March 15, 2013

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Sorry every one. This has been a busy busy week! And today is also a busy busy day! I need to finish laundry and pack our bag so we can go meet our new nephew today and sleep over at my parents house to do some basement re-organization so we can put all of our stuff there as we travel the country for 3 years for my hubby’s new job! Eek! On top of that the weather has been BEAUTIFUL and you would have to put an armed guard outside the door to keep us inside. My baby boy loves exploring and eating bugs/leaves/sticks/dirt etc. Gourmet boy food right?

I PROMISE I will have a post for you on Sunday though. Not to worry!

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This chicken is so good. I love lemon. I love chicken. I love lemon and chicken together, they are such a good team and work so well together to give you a delicious meal!

Here is what you need:

6 Chicken Breast Halves
2 Teaspoons Oregano
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper

2 Tablespoons Butter

Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Chicken Bouillon Cube
1/4 Cup Water
4 Cloves Garlic Minced

Season chicken with the oregano, salt, and pepper.

Fry Chicken in butter until nicely browned on both sides over medium heat. Remove from skillet. Add Lemon, water, garlic, bouillon. Mix well bring to simmer and add chicken back in. Simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Tips from Kj:

We served this with pasta and put the extra sauce the chicken was simmered in over the pasta. So really this was lemon garlic chicken with lemon garlic pasta! Yum!

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Sunday, March 10, 2013

Lemon Mustard Chicken

We have been trying a new thing lately. A 2 week meal plan. Then we only go grocery shopping once every 2 weeks and we do not buy anything other than what we absolutely need for the recipes and for lunches for Mark. We are determined to not take a loan in the next 2 months because we are so close to Graduate School Graduation without taking a loan this year! It has been rough but will be so worth it in the long run.

This two week plan has been so much fun! Normally I am trying to figure out what to make for dinner on the day of and sometimes it is pretty lame. The two week plan way is awesome because we sit down and think about what sounds delicious and then we just buy whatever ingredients we don’t have at home. This is actually saving us money because I am not just randomly buying things at the store…I am purchasing with a purpose!
This is a chicken recipe we have been eating since we got married but it fell through the cracks. I decided it could be improved upon since I have learned a lot since I started making it the first few times and this is what I came up with…it was SO GOOD I don’t think it will ever ever fall through another crack in its little chicken life.
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You need:
1 Large Lemon Cut in Half
2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
1 Tbsp Mustard (We used Dijon)
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into strips
In a mixing bowl mix 1/2 of the lemon juice and the rest of the ingredients to make a marinade. Add the chicken and marinade for 30 minutes (or more!)
I set my gas oven to broil on High and left the rack in the CENTER of the oven. Broil the chicken for 13 Minutes. Remove from oven and squeeze the other half of the lemon over the chicken. Broil for 5 more minutes.
These are SO JUICY!! Oh my goodness I am telling you they practically melt in your mouth and the flavor just pops!
Tips from Kj:
Summer is coming! This will be so good marinated and then popped on the grill! Just use a whole chicken breast.

Or even better put them on a Ka-bob with some mushrooms and squash and save some of the marinade to baste on them as they are cooking. Pin It

Friday, March 8, 2013

Onion Chicken

Whenever we go to California my Mother In Law makes the most amazing food for us. I feel like we are feasting every single day we are there. This last year was a little different because she had to plan special things for just me to eat while everyone else ate the normal deliciousness. But trust me I was not hurting for anything delicious. The food she prepared was so so yummy! The very first night she made me Chicken with Onions. I had never had this before and let me tell you it was my new favorite way to have chicken. So simple and delicious! I asked her how she made it and she told me. I added a little garlic powder and used some cooking wine we had left over and mmmmm yum! It was so good we are having it again next week.

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All you need is:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 Tablespoons Butter (I used my soy free butter)
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
One onion cut into strips
1/2 Cup Cooking Wine or Chicken Broth

Here is what you do:

Season Chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on each side. I just did a few shakes here a few shakes there type of deal.

Sautee 1 sliced  Onion over medium heat (Slice into strips) in 2 tablespoons of butter until onion is nice and golden and caramelized. Remove onion from skillet but leave remaining butter.

Add the cooking wine or broth to the pan and sauté chicken for about 10-12 minutes or until cooked through turning half way through to brown on both sides. Add the onions back into the pan and serve chicken with onions on top.

Tips from Kj:

I am always game for adding mushrooms to things like this. Adding some mushrooms would be the perfect touch! Or any vegetable really.

Add a little garlic in with the onions! Yum!

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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Meatloaf Bites

We love meatloaf here in our home! It is such an easy comfort food. Serve it up with cheesy mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and you have one happy girl (and guy…my hubby loves it too) The problem with meatloaf is that if you are in need of a quick easy meal…it doesn’t cut it! We found a way to solve this problem 3 years ago when we got married but I have just never blogged it. We started making our meatloaf in our  mini muffin pan! It cooks in like 15 minutes max and is so nice to have tiny bites to pop in your mouth. We also have a favorite variation that we really like. See tips from Kj for that!

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Now for the bites ingredients:

1/2 Onion Chopped
1/3 C Ketchup
1/3 C Oatmeal
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Parsley
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 lb Hamburger

Mix all together and fill your mini muffin pan with the meatloaf mixture. No need to grease the pan.

Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with topping mixture.

Topping:
Chili sauce OR 2/3 Cup Ketchup and 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar.

Put back in oven for 5-7 minutes longer or until cooked through.

Tips from Kj:

These are so yummy if you put small scoops of mashed potatoes on top (at the topping step) with some cheese on top of that. Let it melt and you will have cheesy mashed potato meatloaf bites!

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