Grapefruit Margaritas
:: GRAPEFRUIT MARGARITAS ::
I am feeling like it is a Grapefruit Margarita kind of a Monday! There are two reasons to make these refreshing margaritas. Number 1 it is Sara’s birthday today, so we must of course cheers to that! Happy birthday sweet friend Simply could not happen without you! Number 2, Ay ya ya!, it’s Cinco de Mayo this weekend. So break out your Margie glasses and put on some mariachi music, and let’s make a pitcher!
Chicken and Bean Stew Recipe
:: CHICKEN AND BEAN STEW RECIPE ::
Ten minutes is all it takes to prepare this lovely Chicken and Bean Stew Recipe. I love finding quick and easy recipes when I visit Trader Joe’s. It is a great meal when you have a busy week and you don’t want to order out AGAIN! Six simple ingredients is all it takes. This stew is a little on the spicy side, but with a small change of the recipe, you can get the whole family to sit down to enjoy this meal.
Trader Joe’s Favorites + Recipe
>>> Trader Joe’s Favorites + Recipe <<<
We are quite fortunate to have Trader Joe’s stores here in California!
Luckily for the rest of the country, they seem to be spreading quickly!
Once you have the opportunity to shop there,
you will have a hard time returning to your usual market.
The selection of food is great…
especially for healthy items & specialty foods.
I love that they carry & label food products for people with special diets
{such as vegan or gluten-free}.
As a family, we do about 90% of our weekly shopping at Trader’s.
I personally love their produce & vegetarian options,
while the kids love their snacks,
& Husby loves their dried fruit, nuts & trail mixes!
Trader Joe’s seems so much more affordable for healthier food products.
I walk out of there weekly,
with my cart overflowing with groceries, for what I consider to be a fair price.
Although I have shopped there for years,
I still find new favorites all of the time!
I thought it would be fun to share with you several of the items
that make it into my cart each week,
along with a simple, yet scrumptious, dinner recipe {see below}!
Homemade Lentil Vegetable Soup
One of the major hiccups in my quest to prepare and eat healthy meals each day
is that my husby doesn’t come home each night for dinner
{those of you that are also fire wives, have husbands in the military, or that travel can most likely relate}.
I do my best to prepare meals for my children that are balanced and nutritious,
but let’s face it….
there are nights when they’re happiest and most content
with chicken nuggets or wholewheat pasta with parmesan!
I don’t usually eat the same dinner as my kids
{partly because I am vegetarian and the rest of my family is not}.
There are many nights that I make the kids a dish to eat…
and then don’t have the energy to prepare myself a decent meal.
One of the ways I have found to help tackle this issue is by making homemade soups!
I love making soups, because you almost can’t mess up!
Just like my mother,
I add a little bit of this…
and a pinch of that…
and it always turns out to be delicious!
This recipe for
{Homemade Lentil Vegetable Soup}
is perfect because I can make it at my leisure during the day and then eat it when I am ready.
It keeps extremely well in the refrigerator for days on end.
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Lentils have become a mainstay in my diet and I must admit…
one of my favorite healthy, high-fiber foods.
Lucky for us we have a Trader Joe’s not too far away.
I buy most of our groceries there each week.
I have several go-to items
{which I promise to share with you in a later post},
but the pre-cooked, ready-to-eat, lentils are amongst the best if you are looking for a nourishing,
hearty and easy to prepare food
{you’ll find these in the refrigerated section near the produce}.
These little lentils are packed with nutrients and are the cornerstone of this recipe!
{Ingredients}
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 2 cloves chopped garlic
* 1 cup peeled & chopped carrots
* 3/4 cup chopped celery
* 1 large can diced tomatoes {I use the organic ones from Trader Joe’s}
* 1 tablespoon of 21 Seasoning Salute {also from Trader Joe’s} or your favorite mix of seasonings
* salt & freshly ground pepper {to taste}
* 1 package of Trader Joe’s ready-to-eat lentils {or 1 pound of rinsed lentils}
* 6 cups of fresh water or vegetable broth
* 1/2 cup of quinoa or rice {depending on your preference}
* 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan
{Directions}
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery.
Saute until all the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their juices.
Simmer until the juices evaporate slightly and the tomatoes break down,
stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
Add the lentils and the quinoa/rice.
Mix to coat.
Add the water/broth and stir.
Add in ’21 Seasoning Salute’ or seasonings of your choice
{you can be a little creative here}.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
Cover and simmer over low heat until the lentils are almost tender, about 20-30 minutes
{20 minutes if using the pre-cooked lentils, about 30 minutes if using dry lentils}.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls.
Sprinkle with fresh parmesan and serve warm!
I hope you decide to make my favorite soup recipe!
I promise it is quick, easy, and completely tasty!
Each healthful bite is packed with nutrients that your body will love!
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Just in case you were wondering what my silly four were doing while mama was cooking…
{Here is a Behind the Scenes Look}
Finner has a slight obsession with Sophia’s Hello Kitty sunglasses!!
Our weekend pajama morning! Mr. Finn saying, “cheese!!”
An everyday occurrence in our house… a sword fight, with Miss Blue stuck in the middle!
My sweet & sassy little sunshine… stick in hand {probably to protect herself from her three brothers}!!
{The Pioneer Woman Cooks Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie}
If you are trying to stick to a New Year’s resolution-close your eyes!
This yummy recipe is 100% divine.
I made this fantastic pie for New Year’s Eve.
I could have devoured the whole pie all by myself.
I will have to say the best way to describe the filling is
I have been watching Pioneer Woman Cook’s since its inception
on the Food Network.
I enjoy everything about the show.
I often think it would be very dreamy to leave
this suburban life behind and live on
a ranch with my kids and cook too!
A couple months ago her show aired this Recipe.
Over time I purchased the ingredients and had them stocked up
in my pantry and fridge.
I kept finding excuses {such as trying to be good} to not make this pie.
There are certain recipes I know from the get go that I will have
a problem with and that I will want to eat the whole thing.
So when asked to bring a dessert to New Year’s I thought
this would be a success.
Not to mention I wanted to get rid of one of our two boxes of Trader Joe’s,
Joe’s Joe’s, and yes I used ones from Halloween,
but as the recipe indicates the cream part blends perfectly well.
Throw 25 of these babies into a food processor
{Love these little jack o’ lanterns}
Pulse the sandwich cookies until the cream is fully incorporated into the crumbs.
Just when you thought it was safe to open your eyes,
remove the crumbs and place into a bowl and pour
melted butter over the crumbs and mix together.
Yummy!!!!
This is the base for your pie crust.
Place the pie crust mixture in a pie pan.
Pioneer Woman says to use the bottom of a measure cup
to flatten it out into the pan,
but I found clean hands seemed to work better.
Place the pie crust in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes.
While this is baking, the filling can be put together.
I did change out this part of the recipe with reduced fat products.
I used lite cool whip, reduced fat peanut butter,
and 1/3 less fat cream cheese.
I was trying to be somewhat good {wink, wink}
I mixed these products one by one in my mixer.
Mix until all of the ingredients are incorporated and smooth.
Try not to eat this all before its made it into the pie!
Then gently pile on the filling unto the pie crust.
Place into the fridge for 2 hours or until ready to serve.
If you love peanut butter,
this pie is for you.
Its gooey, rich, and chocolaty.
The perfect pie for any day,
or better yet……
Valentine’s is just around the corner.
The perfect way to wow the one you love.
Enjoy!
