Honey Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken

 This is a quick, easy, and really yummy dinner! Serve over rice, noodles, or as a sandwich filling.

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breasts, frozen 
• ½ cup low salt soy sauce 
• ⅓ cup chicken broth 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• ⅓ cup rice vinegar 
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• ½ tsp ginger 
• ½ tsp paprika 
• ½ cup honey 
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch 
• Green onion, diced (to taste)

Directions: 

Place frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot. Add soy sauce, chicken broth, garlic powder, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and paprika. Pour honey and mix until everything is well incorporated and chicken is coated with sauce. 

Close the Instant Pot and close the valve. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Manually release steam and open the lid. 

Using 2 forks roughly shred the chicken. 

Set Instant Pot to sauté and sprinkle chicken with cornstarch. Mix and let the sauce thicken around 5 minutes. 

Serve on rice or noodles or in sandwiches. Sprinkle with diced green onion on top.

Grilled Chicken, Strawberry & Avocado Salad

 

Ingredients:

• 1 jar Brianna's Poppy Seed Dressing
• Marinade: 
• ¼ cup Italian-style salad dressing 
• 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce 
• 2 medium boneless chicken breasts 
• Salad Ingredients: 
• 2 cups baby spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces 
• 2 cups torn romaine lettuce 
• 2 cups hulled and sliced strawberries 
• 1 ripe but firm avocado, pitted and sliced into bite-sized pieces 
• ½ cup toasted pecans 

Directions 

Combine Italian dressing and teriyaki sauce in a sealable container and add chicken. Seal and marinate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour before grilling. 

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. 

Remove chicken from marinade and grill until juices run clear, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Remove from heat, let cool about 10 minutes, and cut into bite-sized pieces. 

Toss grilled chicken, spinach, and romaine lettuce together in a large serving bowl. Gently stir in strawberries and avocado. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Top salad with dressing and pecans when serving.

Crispy Tortilla Wraps

This tik tok tortilla wrap recipe has been everywhere lately, but it has truly become one of our favorite quick and easy dinners! You can add whatever ingredients you choose and the meal is ready in 5 minutes: what's not to love? 

Click here for full instructions and details.

Three Layer Oreo Pie

We made this twice for holiday events last month, and it always received rave reviews! I love when things are easy, quick, AND delicious!

Ingredients

• 32 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided 
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 
• 2 cups cold milk 
• 2 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling 
• 1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided 

Directions

Finely crush 24 of the cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.

Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pudding into crust.

Gently stir 1/2 of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in crust. Chop remaining 8 cookies; stir into remaining whipped topping. Spread over pie. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

Alfredo Ravioli Bake

This is a delicious meal that will leave everyone wanting more! I love how versatile it is: you can use all different kinds of ravioli, meats, and sauces. If you want, throw in some spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, or whatever else you have on hand. It's an easy and fairly quick recipe. It can also be made ahead of time and baked at dinnertime for busy weekdays. Serve with crusty garlic bread and salad, and you have an excellent meal to serve your family or even guests.

Ingredients

• 1 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (You could also substitute a different meat or make this meatless.)
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 
• 1 (16 ounce) jar prepared Alfredo sauce (or other pasta sauce, if you prefer)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
• salt and ground black pepper to taste 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

• 1 bottle Italian salad dressing (Jennifer's addition, optional)
• sauteed mushrooms (Jennifer's addition, optional)

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil; boil the ravioli until it floats and the filling is hot, 6 to 8 minutes; drain.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet, season with the Italian seasoning, and cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 15 minutes. (Instead of seasoning with the Italian seasoning, I chose to marinate the chicken all day in the Italian Salad dressing and then cooked it.)

Spread about 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange enough ravioli over the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish completely. Top the ravioli with about half the cooked chicken. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the chicken; season with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.

(Jennifer: I also sauteed some mushrooms, following this recipe, and added them in as a layer in the middle. I loooooooooove mushrooms!)

Bake in the preheated oven until heated through completely and the mozzarella cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top of the dish; return to oven to cook another 5 minutes before serving.

Cashew Chicken

We enjoy this meal!

• 1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar 
• 1 Tablespoon Packed Brown Sugar 
• 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce 
• 1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil 
• 6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut Into Small Cubes 
• Kosher Salt To Taste 
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic 
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger 
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Chopped 
• 1/4 cup Sherry Or Chicken Broth 
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch 
• 1/2 cup Drained Canned Water Chestnuts, Coarsley Chopped 
• 1 cup Unsalted Cashews (be Sure To Use Unsalted) 
• 2 whole Green Onions, Thinly Sliced 
• Cooked Rice Or Noodles, For Serving (if Desired) 

In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat and add the chicken in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt, then leave it alone for at least a couple of minutes to give the chicken a chance to brown. When the chicken has turned golden, stir it around so that it can brown on all sides. Throw in the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Stir in the bell pepper and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. While the pan is still hot, pour in the sherry. Stir it around, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen all the flavorful bits. Turn the heat to medium-low and pour in the sauce mixture, then mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water to make a slurry and pour it in. Stir the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken, then add the water chestnuts and cashews and stir to coat everything with the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick. Finally, sprinkle on the green onions. Serve with cooked rice or noodles.

Brittany's Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients:

• 3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1.5 T ground cumin
• 1 T. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large case iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute and then add ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break apart meat and continue cooking approximately 8 minutes until browned. 

2. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate. 

3. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add diced sweet potato and water. Stir and cover with a lid for approximately 6-8 minutes until the sweet potatoes soften. Add additional water during this process if needed to keep the meat from drying out. 

4. Remove lid and add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Top with shredded mozzarella and allow it to melt. Remove skillet from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

DIY Oatmeal Packets

We love eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I don't like buying the individual packets. Way too expensive for such a small amount. I also don't love making it homemade every morning. Too much work on busy school days. But I've discovered the secret to making your own individual packets that everyone can make on their own: you have to blend some of the oatmeal into powder. That's it! That's the creamy difference between the kind you buy in packets and the kind you spend 10 minutes cooking on the stove.

I've been making these DIY Oatmeal Packets at home. My family likes them, they only take adding water and cooking 2 minutes in the microwave, and they are fast and easy to assemble.  And they cost about 1/4 the price of buying them in the store. It's a win-win for us all!

INGREDIENTS

• 10 cups quick oats 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (Katelee likes to add a bit more brown sugar to hers after she has warmed it up.)
• 1 cup powdered milk 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 21-24 snack-size zip bags 
• Other toppings if you desire (dried fruit, nuts, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Put 6 cups of the oats into a large bowl. Place the remaining 4 cups of oats into a blender. Blend until almost powdery, then pour into the large bowl.

Add the salt, brown sugar, powdered milk, and cinnamon into the large bowl. Mix well until everything is combined.

Measure 1/2 cup of the oatmeal mixture into each snack-size plastic baggie and seal.

TO USE DIY INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS: Pour the packet into a bowl, and add 1 c. water. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Stir and serve.

NOTES: Because the plastic bag doesn’t get wet or dirty, you can reuse it.

Holiday Cheese Ball

Melissa's favorite cheese ball! Jenn loves this recipe, too.

Ingredients:

• 2, 8oz blocks of cream cheese
• 3 tsp. Bon Appetite* see notes 
• 1/2 tsp. dill weed 
• 1/4 tsp. dried mustard 
• 3 green onions chopped 
• Chopped pecans 
• Chopped parsley 

Directions:

Once cream cheese is softened mix *Bon Appetite, dill weed, dried mustard and green onions all together. Then roll into a ball and roll it in the pecans and parsley.

*Notes: they no longer make Bon Appetite seasoning. So I found the spices that is in it and mix those together to get Bon Appetite. I have never figured out the exact measurements to get the 3 tsp you need so it’s always more then I need and I just keep it in a baggie in my seasonings for next time.

To make Bon Appetite

• 1 TBL celery salt 
• 1 TBL sugar 
• 1 tsp. onion powder. 

Mix it all together and then use 3 tsp. for the cheeseball.

Golden Graham S'more Treats

• 1 cube of butter
• 1 bag of marshmallows

Melt together on medium heat. (Don't let it get too hot too fast.)

Add:

• 16 oz box of Golden Grahams

Put in a 9x13 greased pan.

Add:

• chocolate chips sprinkled on top while grahams are still warm and chocolate will melt/soften. 

Cool, cut and enjoy. Usually double the recipe, of course. :) 

Christmas Fudge

Melissa's comments: "I made this fudge for the first time at Christmas and it turned out so good. Easy pure fudge. Lot's of people at JD's work said it was the best creamiest fudge they had had."

Click HERE for recipe source.

Ingredients 

• 2 and 1/2 cups white granulated sugar 
• 3/4 cup butter 
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk 
• 12 ounce package (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 7 ounce jar marshmallow cream (also called marshmallow fluff) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

Instructions

Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a 3 quart HEAVY saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, butter, and evaporated milk. Use a wooden spoon to stir slowly until butter melts, scraping sides of pan to get all the sugar crystals. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon. Once it starts boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes and turn the heat down to medium so that you don't burn your fingers off--it should be boiling the full 5 minutes. Stir constantly.

When the timer goes off, remove from heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until all chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Add marshmallow creme and beat with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add vanilla and mix well.

Immediately pour into the prepared pan. Let cool to room temperature. Slice and serve! Store on the counter covered.

Recipe Notes This recipe is easy to double, just use a 9x13 pan. Microwave your marshmallow creme for 10 seconds to make it easier to scrape out. (Be sure to remove all traces of foil from the safety seal.)

Brittany's Easy Maple Syrup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 T. maple (Don't use maple extract, it won't taste as strong. Use real maple.)

Mix together sugar and water and stir constantly over heat. Right when it starts to boil, remove from heat and add the maple extract. Tip: Make sure you are watching and stirring or it will boil over.

Volcanoes

Brittany shared this treat. They look yummy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of square pretzels
• 2 bags Rolo candies
• 1 bag M&Ms

Spread pretzels on a tinfoil-lined cookie sheet.  Add a Rolo on top of each pretzel. Bake in the oven 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees. You want the Rolos soft but not melting.  Take out of oven and immediately push an M&M down into the middle of each Rolo. Cool and enjoy!

Quick and Easy Breakfast Granola

One of the hardest things for me when it comes to making healthy choices is breakfast. I LOVE breakfast cereal. Right now I am doing a challenge where I am trying not to eat as much sugar, and if sugar is listed within the first three ingredients on an ingredient list, I am avoiding that food. Sugar is within the first three ingredients on EVERY breakfast cereal I like to eat. So, what to eat for breakfast?

Here is a good recipe that you can whip up in 2 minutes and that I think is delicious!  I usually half this unless I am sharing, as half is plenty for me and this is not a low calorie recipe.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Granola

• 1/2 Oats, either old-fashioned or quick
• 2 T. nut butter (almond, walnut, cashew) OR organic peanut butter
• 1 T. honey
• salt

(optional add ins: cinnamon, chopped nuts, dark mini chocolate chips, dried fruits or ginger)

Stir together in a bowl until well blended. Eat plain, on yogurt, or (my favorite!) over fresh peaches or berries.  

Perfect Oatmeal

I don't do a traditional list of New Year Resolutions, but each year I choose a theme to work on  throughout the year. My theme for 2015 is Physical Health. It's kind of hard for me to say this to others, because if I fail everyone is going to know. But I have decided I can handle being a little vulnerable, so there it is! Since the beginning of the year I have been working on consistently changing life habits. No crazy crash diets, or anything extreme that I cannot see myself doing for the rest of my life. Just little, good healthy habits that I plan to maintain forever, not just for a short time.  And I've already lost 9 pounds, woot!

As part of my efforts, I have been discovering and trying out some new recipes that I will share on here. These recipes are healthier alternatives to what I was eating before. Not all are low calorie or gluten free or sugar free, but all are a better choice than what I was eating before. For me, it's all about balance and moderation in all things.

Here is an oatmeal recipe that I found that I can enjoy. I am not really a fan of cooked oatmeal, usually because of the texture, but this recipe comes out with a really perfect, soothing texture every time. A great, healthy, comforting breakfast!

• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (I personally have left this out, as I am trying not to eat sugar right now. It wasn't sweet, but it was still good without the sugar!)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg 
• 1 pinch salt

Combine milk, oats, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Recipe found on allrecipes.com.  You can find the original recipe here.

Easy and Tasty Chili

I found this meaty chili recipe on allrecipes.com and altered it slightly to fit my preferences.  I thought it turned out delicious!  Not too spicy for the kiddos, but still had yummy flavor and SO easy.  It made a nice big pot, so we served it with this delicious cornbread the first night, over baked potatoes a couple nights later.  And tomorrow we'll finish it off when we make chili cheese dogs.  A nice meal for a busy day!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds ground beef (or turkey or sausage, or mixed)
• 1/2 onion, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 
• 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce 
• 8 oz. jar of salsa 
• 1 McCormick brand Chili Seasoning packet
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease, if desired.

2. Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning mix and kidney beans. Mix well.

3. I prefer to throw it in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours at this point.  However, the original recipe says to reduce heat to low and simmer on the stovetop for at least an hour.

4. Eat and enjoy!

Hamburger Divan Skillet

My friend made this for me and shared the recipe when I asked.  We made it recently for dinner as well.  This is a delicious, family-pleasing, thirty-minute meal, and a little different from anything we usually eat.  I'll be making this again, yum! 



Serves 6.

Ingredients

•  6 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups) 
• 3 cups frozen broccoli cuts (you can substitute whatever vegetable you want, really.)
• 1 container (10 oz) refrigerated Alfredo sauce 
• 1/3 cup half-and-half 
• 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef 
• 1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, cut into cubes 
• 1 jar (6 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained (optional, we did not include mushrooms this time, but I plan to next time!)
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz) 

Directions:
Cook spaghetti as directed on package, adding broccoli during last minute of cooking time. Drain; return to saucepan. Cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine Alfredo sauce and half-and-half; blend well. Brown ground beef in large skillet over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Reduce heat to medium. Stir sauce mixture, cream cheese and mushrooms into ground beef. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Stir in cooked spaghetti and broccoli. Cook an additional minute. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Makes 6 (1 1/2-cup) servings

Yummy Steak Fajitas

These fajitas are seriously so good, and SOO ridiculously easy. They don't have to be made with steak either, they can be thrown together with whatever meat you have in the house, but the steak happens to be my personal favorite.

Steak Fajitas

1 green bell peppers, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cups diced cooked steak (or any other type of meat that you have on hand!)

1 .7 oz package dry italian dressing mix

tomatoes, chopped

shredded cheese

tortillas

sour cream

Instructions:

Sauté peppers and onions in small amount of oil until tender. Add mushrooms and meat. Cook on low heat until heated through. Add dressing mix and stir it all together. Serve with chopped tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and warm tortillas. 

Side note:

One of my favorite things about these fajitas is that they make even better leftovers! This recipe is perfect for my small family of two to have leftovers for a few days. 

Maple Drizzled Apple-Cinnamon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Oh, these sandwiches are heaven.  I found these on the OurBestBites website this afternoon while trying to think of what to make for dinner.  We made them tonight for a quick and easy dinner, and the blend of different flavors was amazing.  I love when food is easy AND delicious!!



Photo from OurBestBites.com

Measurements are approximate. These are sandwiches- don’t overthink it!

Ingredients

• 4 slices rustic sandwich bread 
• 8 slices sharp cheddar cheese (or enough to cover all the slices) 
• 1-2 sweet, crisp apples 
• ground cinnamon 
• kosher or sea salt 
• 3-4 tablespoons real butter 
• 100% real maple syrup 

Instructions

Butter each slice of bread and place slices butter-side down on a cutting board. Place cheese on each slice of bread. Core apples and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Place apple slices on 4 slices of bread and lightly sprinkle them with ground cinnamon and salt. Put sandwich halves together and grill in a hot skillet, or on a Panini grill, or broiled in the oven, flipping sandwiches and cooking until each side is golden brown and cheese is melted. Drizzle with maple syrup, or serve on the side for dipping. Makes 4 sandwiches.

This would also be delicious for breakfast, lunch, snacktime, whatever!   :)  

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I pinned this recipe for Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce {copy cat} recipe found at Budget Savvy Diva a long time ago, and finally tried it out this week.  It was DE-LIC-IOUS!  Though definitely not low-fat.  But who is thinking low-fat when they are wanting alfredo sauce and pasta anyway, right?  :)  This recipe is easy enough to convince me not to buy the jarred alfredo sauce anymore...

• 1 pkg Pasta (we like penne, instead of fettuccine) 
• cooked chicken
• 1 stick of butter 
• 1 clove of minced garlic 
• 1 pint of heavy cream 
• 1 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tbsp cream cheese 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp white pepper 

Make pasta to your liking. In a sauce pan over medium heat – melt butter and add garlic and cook for two minutes, then add in heavy cream and cream cheese and heat until bubbling, but do not boil. Add in Parmesan Cheese and mix until the cheese melts. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste (you don;t need to use all of this, do to your liking). Mix the hot sauce into the noodles and serve. Top with fresh parsley and/or cooked chicken if desired.  Just like Olive Garden! Another quick and easy meal just in time for Back to School dinner blues.