Easy Clean Eating Salad with Grilled Chicken

You wouldn't be able to tell from some previous holiday food posts, but I actually practice Clean Eating and eat only Organic foods about 80% of the time...but I do live a little too! I believe that life is all about balance, and once you find what works for your body and your nutritional needs, eating is so much more enjoyable!

Today I was craving a taco salad but didn't have the ingredients on hand AND I didn't want to fill up on tortilla chips and cheese...FYI: it's no longer considered a "salad" when it looks like a plate of nachos ;) This recipe is made using all Organic products which I ABSOLUTELY recommend for many reasons...but I pass no judgments here and if you choose to make this recipe using non-organic products, go for it! :)

SO....here goes! And trust me... IT IS GOOOOOOD.

Ingredients:
1. Organic Cole Slaw (NOT with dressing!)

2. Organic Grilled Chicken Strips (Applegate Naturals brand is great if on sale, or you can easily slice and throw some raw organic chicken strips into a skillet and season and grill them to your liking)

3.  Organic Low Fat Cottage Cheese

4. Sliced Avocado

5. Organic Roasted Tomato Salsa

6. Chopped Green Onions for topping
7. S + P to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss some cabbage cole slaw mix into a bowl

2. Top with Grilled Chicken, Sliced Avocado, Green Onions, A good spoonful of Salsa and Cottage Cheese, and finish with a sprinkle of Sea Salt and some freshly ground black pepper!

3. ENJOY

My mouth is watering...again. Looks like I might have to make this TWICE in one week!

XO.

After Christmas Bark...

Because I have been B-U-S-Y!

The thing I love about chocolate bark recipes is that they can pretty much be changed entirely to fulfill  your cravings at the time or to go along with any event or holiday! Christmas bark, Halloween bark, Birthday bark, PMS bark... ;) You truly cannot go wrong, unless of course you DON'T make this.

Ingredients:

1. ONE bag of Pretzel Sticks

2. ONE small bag of M&M's (I used regular Christmas colored but you can use any flavored M&M's!)

3.  ONE bag of Nestle Toll House Winter Mint and Dark Chocolate Chips (Or Andes mint baking chips)

4.  ONE package of Mint Fudge covered Oreos

5. ONE 12 oz bag of Ghiradelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers

6. ONE container of Red/Green sugar or Sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Follow the directions on the back of the Ghiradelli bag for either microwaving or using a double boiler (or a make shift one like me! A glass bowl on top of a pot of low-boiling water)

2. While the chocolate is melting, add half the package of Oreos to a freezer bag and take a hard object (I used the flat square end of my garlic press) and slam away until the Oreos are broken into good bite-sized pieces.  You do NOT want to pound them into powder so don't go too crazy.  

 3. Pour a good amount of each item onto a wax paper lined baking sheet and spread them evenly!

4. Pour the white chocolate over the top of the candy mixture as evenly as possible. If needed, use a spatula or your hands to spread it a bit more, and then top with sprinkles of your choice! 

5. Put the cookie sheet into the freezer for 15-20 minutes or until bark has hardened. Take out of the freezer, break into pieces, and DIVE IN. But be careful, you may never come back from this smooth, crunchy, sweet & salty heaven! 

 

Try to give some away before you eat it all. I dare you. 

XO.

Christmas Crispies!

At least that's what WE call them...But regardless of the name, you will want to devour these! I PROMISE.
Baking and making desserts is one of my favorite things to do.

 It is my therapy and a stress reliever and my little escape from all of my other domestic duties. 

My son LOVES to help bake and decorate...but he truly never really had much of a choice anyways! ;)

Are you ready for this super simple list of ingredients? 

This is a grocery list that even your husband can tackle- AND not mess up. Seriously.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1 package (10 oz. about 40) regular marshmallows OR
4 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Corn Flakes Cereal 

Christmas Sprinkles!

Instructions:

1. Melt margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. 

Add marshmallows and stir continuously until completely melted. 

Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S CORN FLAKES cereal to a large mixing bowl.

 Pour marshmallow mixture over cereal and stir until all cereal is well coated.

3. Portion warm cereal mixture evenly by using a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup coated with cooking spray. Using sprayed fingers, quickly shape into balls, and sprinkle away or decorate to your liking! (We like to keep things simple in our house!) 

Store in single layer in airtight container- enjoy!

(Ps. Underlined items are seriously important. If you forget to spray your hands before grabbing and attempting to mold the mixture...you will be doing ninja moves trying to break free of the sticky web mess. I have been there, and I never want to go back again, take it from me!)

 

Watch out for little hands...they are SNEAKY!

XO.

One Pot Pasta from HEAVEN.

There is nothing I love more than a one pot meal, unless its a one pot meal AND happens to be pasta. I love my (portion controlled) serving of carbs, and "noo-NULLs" have been my son's favorite meal of all time since his first bite. He told me last year that for his 4th birthday he wanted a Mickey Mouse bounce house and a swimming pool full of "NooNulls." 

Not even kidding. I love that kid. 

 I am sure that you might be able to find this recipe somewhere on the internet, but as far as I am concerned; I made it up on a Tuesday night while I was going through my cupboard & had no idea what to make...which is where the majority of my recipes come from.

WARNING: YOU MUST PRINT THIS RECIPE, WRITE IT DOWN,  OR MAYBE GET IT TATTOOED ON AN APPROPRIATE AND VISIBLE PART OF YOUR BODY. THIS RECIPE WILL BECOME BFF'S WITH YOUR WALLET, YOUR TASTE BUDS, AND YOUR DINNER GUESTS.

ONE POT SPAGHETTINI
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

(1) 16 oz package of Spaghettini or thin Spaghetti
4 1/2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth 

(1) 14.5 oz can of Petite Cut Tomatoes with Sweet Onions and Roasted Garlic 

A handful of fresh basil leaves chopped 

1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

S + P

Instructions:

• Add Chicken Broth to a large skillet and bring to  a boil. Once boiling, add pasta!
• Stir in can of Petite Cut Tomatoes and Italian Seasoning
• Cover with lid and simmer on medium heat stirring every 2 minutes for 10-12 minutes or until almost all liquid is absorbed and pasta is Al Dente
• Add basil leaves, season as desired with S+P

 

If you LOVE basil like my family, chop a little extra and sprinkle on top along with grated Parmesan cheese! *Pairs VERY well with an ice cold glass of Chardonnay, happy husbands, and hungry children.

XO.

Veggie & Feta Egg Bake!

ALSO REFERRED TO AS....ONE OF THE EASIEST & MOST DELICIOUS DINNERS OF ALL TIME.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES F.

Step 1. Pick your veggies!
I chose 1/2 white onion chopped, 1 zucchini chopped, 1/2 bunch of asparagus (tips only), and 1 14oz can of Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil to a saute pan and add all veggies. Saute [stirring often] until onions turn clear and veggies are tender, then add can of tomatoes for the last 5-6 minutes. S + P and season accordingly.

Step 2. Crack 10 eggs into a bowl, add 2 tbsp of low fat milk, s+p, and whisk away!

Step 3. Pour egg mixture into ungreased 13x9 baking dish, add veggies from pan and make sure to spread them evenly throughout the egg mixture. Crumble some low fat feta on top.

Step 4. Pop that baby into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. I highly recommend that you crumble a litttttle more feta on top, slice yourself a piece, and maybe make some Turkey sausage too (if you're a meat eater like me).

SO GOOD. SO EASY.

XO.

Tis the season for crafts and spiked eggnog.

SNOW GLOBES...OR GLITTER GLOBES? Whatever, they're rad.

So, I dropped my son off at school this morning and thought it would be fun (and budget friendly) to stop in at my local Dollar Tree and see if I could find some items that could wake my inner Martha!
Not only did it happen- but it was glorious, AND it was only $7.00...seriously. Sometimes I feel like I am robbing that place and should offer to organize shelves or something?!

Lets get to the good stuff, here is what you need!

(Cute toddler hand- optional)

1. Fun little Christmas Village items/people (I bought 4 packs and there were more than enough for 3 globes!)

2. Mason/Canning jars

3. Glue gun

4. Loose glitter in whatever color floats your boat, or your kids.

5. Glycerin (totally optional and I did not have it on hand so...that didn't happen)
Side Note: I read that you can purchase it at almost any craft store or even CVS and supposedly it helps the glitter fall a little slower after shaking and gives a more "beautiful effect", but I don't personally think its a must have! Plus our globes look freakin' beautiful just the way they are okay? Okay.

Instructions:

Glue your little Christmas friends on to inside of lid with hot glue gun.
Let them dry for a few moments.
Fill mason jar with water, add as much as glitter as you'd like, a couple drops of glycerin if that makes you feel better, and then screw that lid on TIGHT and shake.Set Jar on its lid, and watch the beauty unfold in front of you, and hopefully you get as excited as I did, Jett did.

Look at this HAPPY LITTLE CUTIE-FACE!

Today- I AM SUPERMOM, I AM COOL...tomorrow is still questionable.

XO.