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black beans and options
The weekend is almost here and that means some much needed downtime (hopefully), some family time and hopefully a good meal (or two). For us I love to break out the slow cooker on the weekends as much as the weekdays as I just love smelling the yumminess all day long as we run in & out or are doing some chores around the house…it just seems to make the day that much more enjoyable…and these black beans are a perfect weekend slow cooker dish. Not too long ago my weekend slow cooker recipe was black beans. OK, now I know that may not sound like the most exciting…
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taking chicken soup to the next level
Chicken soup is a childhood memory that is one of my favorites for sure. Growing up we had several versions that would show up every once in a while. Sometimes it was chicken and rice, or chicken and noodles and when we went to my MeeMaws it was chicken n dumplings…and now we have Mexican chicken soup. Don’t get me wrong I love all the traditional chicken soup’s out there but I wanted to change it up a bit, while adding in a little kick and some extra veggies along the way…plus it was all made in the slow cooker making it a perfect weeknight dinner without a lot…
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oh so good…skinny chicken and rice
Even when I am trying to eat lighter and make better choices there is one thing that I must have…CHEESE. Now I know this is not the best must have, I mean obviously must having veggies are a better option but as long as I can have some cheese every now and then I am a much happier “skinny” eater & this chicken and rice casserole makes me happy for sure. Casseroles are also a must have…they are so easy, and if done right it can be balanced and full of flavor without a ton of guilt with some veggies & protein thrown in for good measure. Growing up my mom made…
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Lightened-up enchilada soup? Yes, its good
Enchilada soup is one of my most favorite soups of all time. There is just something about the chicken with the spices and the broth with the cheese that makes my life oh so happy! So one of my favorite enchilada soups of all time is at the restaurant Chili’s. It is rich, creamy, cheesy with the perfect amount of spice and I have made that recipe several times, but lately I have been obsessed with green chilies so I decided it was time to change up my favorite soup a bit…and voila here we have the Green Chile Enchilada Soup. [mpprecipe-recipe:110] Since I was changing it up anyway…
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starting 2016 with a bang & spaghetti
Don’t let the name of this dish fool you…this cream cheese spaghetti is still an under 400 calorie dinner that is perfect for your busy nights. It is no secret that I love my slow cooker but I especially love it when it involves pasta. I think I could eat pasta everyday and this dish would be at the top of the list for sure. It is rich and creamy, but without a ton of guilt which makes it even better. To start with I used ground turkey, which I love to use in my pasta dishes…it gives the same texture of ground beef but with a lot less fat and…
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homemade is so worth it
I cannot believe that 2016 is already here. With all the traveling and family obligations the Holidays had the last few weeks just flew by. Don’t get me wrong it was an amazing Christmas. My nephew, Wesley, was loving everything the season had…except maybe Santa… and it was so fun watching him experience it all. Then with my precious new niece, Audra, she is only 3 months so too little to really take it all in, but I did get to buy the most adorable baby girl things for her, and who doesn’t love buying precious little girl things? After celebrating Christmas with the family here in SE Texas The…
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A special treat…beef tenderloin
In my family beef is always on the menu for special events and this Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin is quite the treat. As I have mentioned before my Mammaw is in a memory care facility and sometimes leaving there can be difficult for her (especially in the evening) so to make Christmas special for her we did an early Christmas lunch at our home. To make this super special I decided to make this beef tenderloin and boy oh boy was it AMAZING! After researching several different cooking methods and seasoning combos I decided to keep it simple, in my opinion simply seasoned beef really seems to be best…
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traditional makes a great roast
Not too long ago The Hubby and I went on one of our infamous shopping trips to Costco. You know one of those trips where you not only get the essentials such as endless amounts of toilet paper and paper towels but you also end up with way too much cubed cheese and some chicken pot pies that The Hubby swears are “SO GOOD!” As part of this trip we had some steaks, chicken breasts and string cheese on the list and then we saw the roasts…and immediately The Hubby and I both decided roast had to be on the menu ASAP. Now over the years I have had…
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potato soup…a must have comfort
Are you still surrounded by all the goodness of Thanksgiving, or have you eaten all the turkey you can handle and are ready to move on and embrace all the warm comfort foods of winter…well for The Hubby and I we are ready to move on and this potato soup is a must make. After all the craziness of Thanksgiving, the endless eating & deal shopping I found it was time to settle into some decorating and a warm bowl of soup. Anytime I ask The Hubby what soup he would like he immediately goes to potato soup or enchilada soup and this time potato won (only because I had everything on…
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never order a ham again
Almost every Thanksgiving my brother-in-law will order a ham from that honey place, but this year I decided I wanted to tackle it on my own…I mean it surely couldn’t be that hard. First I had to decide if I wanted the it to be sweet, more spicy or fruity. After discussing it with The Hubby we decided a combo of sweet and spicy would be the way to go so off we went. Second we had to find the ham…off to the store we went. After looking at several of the hams piled up we decided on a 9 pound bone-in hickory smoked one. The name alone sounded yummy so anything…
